Shattered Blade
by DrakeValkyr
Summary: After several years of traveling the world's battlefields, Enforcer Shirou Emiya finds himself in Shin Tokyo. Leave it to him to go on vacation and end up trapped in yet another battle royal between magical beings. Inspired by Gabriel Blessing's In Flight.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Sekirei. The inspiration and some themes come from Gabriel Blessing's In Flight and give all credit where credit is due. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do so.

Authors Note:

This is the first work I've put up here in some time so if you find any errors, mistakes, contradictions, etc. please bring them to my attention.

After a review, I have changed the story from centered (the format I find easiest to edit in) to Right view for ease of reading.

I hope this is an enjoyable piece of fiction for you all and without further ado, let's begin!

*Prologue Start*

After nearly a decade of roaming the world, travelling from one blood soaked battleground to the next, it was strange to be home. Not that I was quite back to Fuyuki yet. For all that tyrannical devil-woman felt it necessary to banish me from the Clock Tower, cancel my last job, and browbeat me into returning to Japan, I doubt that Rin had either wanted or expected my enforced vacation to start in a security interrogation room at Shin Tokyo International Airport. The reason for my being in said room, well, that is probably due to my own personal bad luck.

In the interim period between leaving Japan with Rin for the Clock Tower in England and now, the face of our homeland has changed much. One of those changes, and not so coincidentally the reason for my incarceration, was the rise of Mid Bio Informatics, or MBI, a multi-national super corporation leading the development of medical and medically related technology that had its roots here in Shin Tokyo.

As the seat of MBI's power, Shin Tokyo had rapidly increased from a small city to a bustling metropolis from the influx of jobs, capital and technology produced by the company. As such, it was no surprise that you'd often find some of the company's newest technology here before anywhere else. One in particular is responsible for why I mention this, as it is the cause of all my current problems.

I didn't know what the name of the device was but it was supposed to be some kind of DNA analyzer only without the bulk or needles I had associated with DNA testing. Admittedly, most of my knowledge of the subject was based off Taiga-nee-san's crime dramas and thus not wholly accurate. I was expecting a large whirling behemoth, not a device about the size of a briefcase, and the simple breath it needed was much less painful than what I feared would be involved.

Instead of a fully functional security device, the current iteration of the machine was still experimental and the airlines were working out the kinks and bugs in the technology. As such, when during my examination, instead of an 'all clear' beep that would have had me continue on with my day, I was rewarded with a shrill 'I'm ruining your day' chirping.

Had this chirping been an alarm, I probably would have started a running battle through the terminal, the air filled with the sounds of screams, gunfire and breaking blades as I escaped from Shin Tokyo International Airport. In hind sight, I should have done just that. Instead, I was led by apologetic airline officials into an empty security room until a consultant from MBI could be reached to address the error in the machine.

Instead of a nice, relaxing wait and a quick debug by a nerdy but cute young tech support girl or a professional and courteous young man, I was treated with an interrogation.

My first interrogator was tall for a Japanese woman. I was still taller that her, but I had already grown to a height where I was taller than a great number of my fellow countrymen. Her hair, while was long and pulled into a ponytail, wasn't the typical shade that would be found in Japan. Instead it was a light but uniform gray, lacking the shading that it would have had she gone gray prematurely. Under the circumstances, had I not known she wasn't human, I would have suspected it of being dyed.

She was wearing a tight black leather top with a matching black miniskirt that ended high on her thighs, bordering on indecently so. She had on long black stockings that closed nearly to the hem of the rest of her outfit leaving a rather appealing region of unblemished skin in there as well. On her shoulders rested a long grey coat, though she hadn't bothered to put her arms through the sleeves and instead chose to wear it like a cape of some sort.

The most striking aspect of this woman was not the long sword, nearly five feet of steel, sheathed at her side and fastened to a thick leather belt. Nor was it the way she smiled, her eyes crinkling till they were merely slits in a manner that was too benevolent and cheerful to be genuinely benign. It wasn't even the grace of an apex predator with which she moved.

Her most striking feature was the smell that accompanied her.

The first scent was sweet, almost cloying, like honey if it was left in the sun too long and started to decompose; managing to combine the sickening scent of decay with the sweet freshness of honey. The second scent was equally overpowering, but both a great deal more obvious and more ominous; the copper tang of blood.

For that moment I was back in Fuyuki, watching the skin and flesh melt off my classmates as I fought for my life in the great red haze that was Rider's phantasm; the great barrier that smelt of blood and honey. This was not a normal smell. No, this smell was not normal for the same reason it reminded me of that purple haired serpent. This was the smell of magic.

I knew this because every mage has a certain sensitivity, a sixth sense if you will, to the presence of foreign magic though each mage may experience this sense a different manner. Some magi might experience it as a different sound, or a taste, or even a physical sensation, but for me it manifested as a smell. I was also unusually adept at identifying and locating nearby magic.

This was Karasuba and she was Not Human.

My second interrogator was also a woman. She was slightly shorter than Karasuba and had on a white lab coat that was being worn properly. Beneath it was a pair of black suit pants and a white button up shirt and tie combo that could be found on any office worker in the city. She looked like any other middle aged career woman that could be found in any office in Shin Tokyo, with the exception that around her neck hung a lanyard holding an MBI identification card. Well, that and the fact that her hair was pure white.

This woman was Takami Sahashi and she was human.

She might also be my mother.

That was several hours ago. Now, a somewhat free man, I found myself sitting down across from Takami once more. We were at a small but bustling restaurant. The crowded atmosphere lent a suitable amount of both privacy and conspicuousness for our meeting. Although I couldn't see her, I knew Karasuba was no doubt present, watching from somewhere. Her distinctive scent filtered through the smell of cooking food every so often. Though if her presence here was due to any unease that Takami might have felt at inviting me to talk with her, or watching us was just something she was doing without orders was anyone's guess.

"It will take a few days for them to confirm the tests, but I have people working on it already," Takami informed me between bites of her beef pot. "And it will probably be a few more before your documentation is collected and verified."

How Takami and I went from sitting across from each other in an interrogation to sitting at dinner with one another was simple. The airport was nothing more than a testing ground for the viability of MBI's machine as a future security device and as such, the database for Interpol's most wanted wasn't the only set of data in the machine's memory banks. MBI scientists and personnel were also in the comparison set and when I my DNA was compared to this set it found a match. Well, it found two partial matches of which one just so happened to be my interrogator.

Even though the machine at the airport had identified us as related, or at least possibly so, we had decided to confirm that identification through three other independent companies and MBI's own resources. As one of MBI's lead scientists, Takami couldn't risk trusting an experimental device with something as important as identifying her long lost son. It would have been unprofessional and irresponsible to accept me into her already existing family and life on such little evidence.

Never really having parental figures in the first place and due to own bias against that damnable machine, having people unrelated to MBI investigating our relation was welcome.

Up until today, I believed I was an orphan: that my parents, both my biological parents and my adopted father as well, were dead. They died in a fire years ago, during the horrible last moments of the Fourth Grail War, and Kiritsugu died a few years after that from the injuries in that same war. I didn't remember my biological family.

Honestly, I didn't care to remember them for that matter. I am an Emiya. The only parent I need is Kiritsugu, who taught me more about how to live my life then I could believe anyone else in the world could, regardless of whether or not they were partial donors of my genetic code. It is the Emiya code of living and of conduct that was passed to me, more precious even than life itself, for it gave both life and meaning.

That was until a photo on Takami's phone shattered that perception entirely.

"I see. So what happens after that?" I ask her, hiding my own apprehension. This woman was still a stranger to me, and even after the shocking revelation that I still had a family, a brother and a sister too, wasn't any reason to abandon my plans just yet. I already had one family that I loved and lost that I had to pay my respects to. I wasn't yet ready to accept that I might have another.

"Well," She hemmed, leaning back against her chair with a sigh, "Well that all depends on what they conclude. If it turns out that you aren't Ichirou then I suppose we'd both go our separate ways. However, if you are my son, then I guess it would be best to get to know you better. You'd be welcome to rejoin the family."

After we left the airport I was set up in a small hotel, courtesy of Takami and MBI. Of course, this courtesy was contingent on several factors. The first was that I wouldn't skip town or attempt to flee until the situation regarding Takami and I was settled. From their point of view I was still suspected to be an infiltrator of unknown origin who had somehow managed to find a bug in one of their experimental systems to get close to one of their premier researchers. I was being given the benefit of the doubt for this not being the case for the time being, but they wanted to be thorough in their investigation.

The second factor was that I was actually Ichirou Sahashi, the supposedly dead first child of Takami Sahashi. If I were not her son and their investigation into my past turned up that I was working for a foreign government or rival corporation, then I could look forward to them giving the order to silence me. This would probably involve me, Karasuba and death.

If it turned out that I was on the level like I claimed to be, then I would likely have to reimburse MBI for the expense of the hotel. Well, unless I threatened to talk about the earlier botched interrogation attempt, but that would lead me right back into a death match with Karasuba. It looked like a confrontation with that bloody woman was as inevitable as fighting my own self. That said event had already happened and, where I was concerned, happened every time I stepped onto a battlefield should be left unsaid.

On some levels it still hadn't really sunk in that I could really be this woman's son. What did we even have in common? We were both tall for being of Japanese descent, yeah, but that didn't mean anything. Our hair both started turning white, not gray, prematurely in our lives? Well, my hair was losing its pigmentation due to my use of Projection, not due to some genetic quirk. Right? That was what Archer had said and while he never outright lied to me, he was a total bastard and deserved to die. Turning his back on others, on the very aspect that defined our lives made him unfit for the name Emiya.

"You mean your children. Minato and Yukari was it?" I asked after I was done chewing, "Are you planning on telling them about me?"

"Eventually," Takami hedged. "I'd rather we have the final conclusions before I let them know anything about this. You understand that they've grown up believing that their elder brother is dead." There was a moment of silence from both of us. The sudden reappearance of long thought dead relatives was a hard concept to grasp on both sides. "We actually have a small shrine at the house."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing, looking down at my bowl.

"So, what was that about girlfriends, clients and having to leave your job?" Takami growled at me. Despite myself I couldn't help but feel some amount of shame at her disapproval.

"Ah, yes. I did say I could explain that, didn't I?" I asked, smiling in what I hoped was a disarming manner. By the unchanging look on her face I could tell that Takami was hardly amused. "I said I was an independent contractor right? The client in question is a good friend of mine from back home. Her name is Rin Tohsaka. We ended up in the same university in England. Over time we ended up in a relationship but after graduation I set up my own business over there. My jobs, the contracts I take, have me travelling a lot to remote places."

This is more or less the truth. Except for our complicated relationship at the Clock Tower during the period we studied together, I had spent most of the past seven years since leaving Fuyuki wandering from apostle hunt to war zone to massacre. She always took exception to my need to involve myself, to try to save others, from these situations despite being the only person who could understand my motivations. Our contact with the Archer Emiya and her experience with the Dream Cycle leant her insight into my mind that no one still living could hope to gain.

"She thought I should spend less time at work and more at home. When I disagreed with her and tried to continue with the job I'd just accepted when we had our latest fight. She contacted my employer and got them to cancel our arrangement. That's the reason I'm back in Japan. She can be very scary when she is angry and at that point it was easier to accept my time off than to fight with her anymore."

"So will there be any repercussions upon your return?" Takami had a weird look on her face that I had trouble placing.

"Only from Rin and only if I return too soon. I handle my contacts in a professional and dignified manner. You don't last long in my field without skill and tact." I replied, which was true. If one didn't have the skill for it, then they'd most likely end up as another body in an unmarked grave or, worse, and undead monstrosity. If one didn't have tact, then they'd most likely end up on an operating table of a smear the wall within the Clock Tower. I took great pride in my professional demeanor and work ethic. "Rin is also a known factor by most of my clients. When I go back to England, I will be able to continue with my work as if I never left."

"I guess I don't have to worry about another son being a lay about then," Takami laughed good naturedly. "Minato failed his first round of entrance exams. The next one is in a little over a week and he's been on an allowance in the interim." The statement lacked any heat, despite how it was phrased.

"Perseverance is important though, and from how you said it I take you've no doubts about his ability?" It was odd to hear about a stranger in such a way. There was a strange sense of warmth that accompanied the words.

"None at all, he's a smart kid." She positively beamed before finishing the last bit of her meal. "Hmm, now, this Rin of yours, anything I should know?" Her smile turned absolutely evil. Her eyes shrunk to small points of malevolent light as her mouth widened to inhuman proportions, showing way too much teeth. This must be a power that only mothers gain, the ability to instantly dredge feelings of horror and embarrassment at nothing more than a look.

"Not anymore," I grin nervously. Despite the awkwardness of our interaction, it was pleasant in an indescribable sort of way. If having a mother was similar to this, then maybe I would be so opposed to a positive result to this situation. "It didn't really work out. There were just some irreconcilable differences."

Most of these differences stemmed from my oft called suicidal nature. Rin was a genius. There were no mincing words about it. As an unfortunate side effect though, Rin was used to instantly understanding things. School or magecraft or even people, she could intuitively solve any problem she faced. All except one, it appeared. Even with having seen the memory of the Fuyuki Fire, the horrible pall over the burning bodies littering the streets, people screaming as they melted trapped in under rubble or begging to be saved even after they were long past dead, she didn't understand how I couldn't turn away from that memory. How I couldn't leave those people behind, to live my own life without being shadowed by them. I couldn't leave them. Not ever, for they were those that were not saved.

"We may no longer be together, but she's still a good friend for a short tempered, foul spirited, demanding little spitfire." My smile as I said this might have been a little off putting, but I was honest and not at all spiteful towards the diminutive and manipulative magi.

I think Takami's laughter at that was tinged with a little nervousness, but it seemed less like she was apprehensive about me and more amused. She waved down our waiter for a dessert menu and we spent much of the remaining evening just talking.

*Scene Break*

My walk back to my hotel gave me a welcomed reprieve. That isn't to say that my dinner with Takami was unpleasant. Actually, that couldn't be further from the truth. We didn't get past much more than cursory introductions, but there was some deeper connection with her that I didn't rightly understand.

If this all turned out to be a mistake, if Takami and I weren't related after all, then I think I might be a little disappointed. I shook my head to banish the thoughts. What will be will be, after all, and there was no use dwelling on what family I might or might not still have until after all was said and done. If this was a mistake, it would make leaving a lot easier if I didn't get too attached.

Rin the one person uniquely suited to understand me had turned her back on me. My friends and family were all either dead or had left me. Hell, some were even actively trying to kill me. What were the odds that some random strangers I shared naught but blood with would be any different? No, it would be better if we were not connected at all. There would be less pain for everyone involved, if I didn't have to abandon yet another person for this suicidal quest of mine.

Unbidden, the image of a young blond woman appeared in my mind. She was dressed in a long sleeved white blouse and a tapered blue skirt that went all the way to her ankles. Her golden blond hair was tied into a braid and bound to the nape of her neck by a blue ribbon. She was framed from behind by the rising sun as she turned to lock those emerald green orbs to mine and speak those fateful words. Saber. She was waiting for me. Waiting for the realization of the promise we made that day, to find one another on a hill of swords. That is, if she hadn't abandoned me as well.

The memory was just as suddenly dispelled by the scent of honey and blood. I didn't bother looking for the source. I already knew what it was from and where I'd find her. Low and behold, there she was standing right outside my room. "Great," I sighed aloud and resumed walking. I could have, and probably should have, just turned around and walked somewhere else. Although, given the situation she would most likely just follow me.

Karasuba opened her eyes, tracking me with her steely gray gaze as I moved past her to key open the door. "Good night, Karasuba," I greeted her as I opened the door. Maybe if I didn't stop to talk with her she'd just go away or something.

"Hmm, I guess it is." It was not to be as she slipped through the door as it closed behind me, apparently not concerned about simple things like being given an invitation or respecting boundaries. Instead she leaned against the now closed door, looking for all intents and purposes as if I were the one intruding into her space and not the other way around.

It was a small, single bedroom hotel room. To the left of the entrance was a small washroom complete with a shower stall. Opposite the stall was a wall to wall mirror hanging over a full countered sink. The bedroom itself was dominated by a single bed flanked by nightstands. The wall opposite from the bed was lined with two large dressers and on the far side of the room was a small work desk. It was small and cheap, but it would be home for the next few days.

"What did you bring for me?" She grinned, gesturing to the carry home bag I was carrying back from the restaurant. Takami had ordered some devilishly rich chocolate cake for desert, but somehow I ended up taking half of it back with me. She gave me the excuse that as a middle aged mother, there was no way she'd keep the figure she had if she ate everything she wanted to.

"It's cake and no, you can't have any." I snorted at her audacity, placing the leftovers on a dresser top before heading into the bathroom. Leaning over the faucet I splashed cold water on my face to help calm my nerves. The last thing I needed after such a tumultuous day was to play nice with this blood soaked fiend. I did take some solace in the fact that we weren't actively trying to kill each other yet, but that she was in my room uninvited brought me no comfort.

"Ah well," I heard her move past the bathroom doorway and into the room proper, "I suppose you can't get everything you want right away."

Toweling my face dry I stepped out of the bathroom. "What, you wanted me to bring you desert?" I asked, incredulous. Apparently when I heard her move it was so she could take a slice of the cake. She stood there body cocked to the side as she held her slice between a small knife and her thumb. Bringing the piece to her lips she deftly scooped it from the blade with her tongue, meeting my gaze from the corner of her eye.

Was that…

"Isn't that my knife?" I asked. I did not stare at the way her tongue darted across her lips. I did not. Instead I focused on the Altered steak knife I threw at her back at the airport. Alteration was a spell that allowed for the addition of a property or effect onto an item that would normally not have such a quality. With this spell I imbued the otherwise unremarkable piece of cutlery with keenness and balance beyond what mundane methods could achieve.

And then I threw it at Karasuba, who was at the time taking perverse amusement in Takami and I having one of the greatest foundations of our lives ripped out from underneath us; that we were long lost mother and son. Family we each thought long dead.

Why on earth did she have that with her and when did she take it?

"Not since you gave it to me." Her smile widened as she sauntered away from the half eaten remains of chocolaty death towards the door. There was no describing the audacity of this witch. "So, how was your date with Takami, Ichirou?"

Thunk.

I didn't even notice what I was doing before it happened. The hammer pulled back and fired as I let fly the keycard pulled from my back pocket. Once again Alteration had given the cheap plastic card an impossible edge as it blurred through the air and imbedded itself in the door next to Karasuba's head.

"My name is Shirou Emiya." I growled. Ichirou Sahashi was dead. That was a name I never knew and didn't recognize. My old name, my old identity was one of the first things I cast off in the Fuyuki Fire, discarding more and more aspects of myself in the attempt to live. No, I had lived my entire life as Shirou Emiya. I have lived and fought and loved and died as Shirou Emiya. I would not let those sacrifices and experiences be lost to a dead man.

Her eyes stayed locked onto mine as she brought a finger to trace the card lodged in the door, only to flicker to her finger as she pulled it back sharply.

"Or maybe you can," She mused, almost to herself as she appraised me once more with half lidded eyes. I don't know what she saw but it made her beam, her smile filled equally with the promise of suffering and rapture. Idly, she pulled the card from the door and pocketed it before opening the door. "Goodnight Sahashi. Sleep well."

Before I could do anything she was gone, the door closing behind her. Oh, by the Root I was screwed. In that fit of rebellious anger I had given her the ability to come and go from my room as she pleased. What gods did I anger to deserve that?

With an aggravated groan I flopped onto the lumpy mattress and closed my eyes. Somehow I knew Archer must be responsible for this misfortune.

*End Chapter*

Thank you all for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Fate or Sekirei or what is GB's

Authors Note:

I would like to thank those of you who reviewed

Also, to Blinded in a bolthole: I read Postnuptial Disagreements and found it to my liking. It was cute, so thank you for the recommendation.

*Spoiler Alert*

So, this is the first time the story is told from someone other than Shirou's point of view. I did this for a few reasons; the first was so that I wasn't totally rehashing GB's version of the scene, because that would be lame. There is already enough of the early part of this story that is like that. The second reason was to show how other people see the current Shirou. This was actually pretty hard to write, so I hope I got Minato's character alright. There won't be many sections that aren't from Shirou's POV (at least, from what I have planned) as this is Shirou centric. Hopefully, this didn't detract from the story as these POV changes are supposed to build on it. If they don't, please let me know as that means I did my job wrong.

*Spoiler end*

Just like last time, if you find any errors, mistakes, contradictions, etc. please bring them to my attention.

Thank you and enjoy the next installment

*****Story Start*****

The soft sizzle of eggs frying in a pan filled the pre-dawn air. "Ah," I breathed deep and exhaled slowly before proceeding to skin and chop the vegetables, the soft and rhythmic clack of the knife striking the cutting board was divinely relaxing. After several years wandering and a few days in a cheap hotel it was good to be in a kitchen again, even if it was a western style layout and not the traditional style I had grown up with.

The suite had a fully equipped kitchen with tile counter tops flanking a double stove/oven on either side to provide ample prep space. On one side cabinets lined the wall above the counters and the other was covered by a shelf from which hung various sizes of pots and pans. In the center of the kitchen was a small island that provided additional counter and storage space and the other side held a spotless double sink and a refrigerator tucked in the corner. An opened wall gave a perfect view from the kitchen across the dining room and through the floor to ceiling windows looking over the Shin Tokyo skyline. Even at this time of day MBI's massive clock tower was fully lit up as it dominated the picturesque cityscape.

"Hello, Ichi-" Thunk.

The peeling knife I'd been using to slice cucumbers now rested in the doorframe, quivering next to Karasuba's smiling face. Her customary, and improperly worn, grey long coat hung over her shoulders as she refused to put her arms through the sleeves. Under it she wore a black leather top and black miniskirt that ended high on her thighs. To top off the outfit she had on black stockings that came up almost to her skirt. Her grin only widened as she delicately pried it from where it was embedded. "How sweet of you, Sahashi-kun."

I scowled at her as she sauntered over to the kitchen island to watch me work. That had been the third of such knives, among other things, that I'd lost to her in this little game of ours. Soon I'd have to just start using Traced cutlery or risk Takami's wrath at losing another pair of kitchen knives to the gray haired demon. Of course, that would deny said demon her trophies and who knows what she'd try to claim from me in recompense. Most likely it'd be my head.

"I told you my name is Shirou, you damn crow. Besides, didn't Takami tell you to stop breaking in here?" I sighed, pulling another knife from the magnetic strip above the counter to resume preparing our meal. Takami would be up soon and if I didn't force her to eat breakfast she'd probably leave for work without it. There was a good chance she'd go without eating lunch too.

It had been several weeks since I first arrived in Shin Tokyo. After our first meeting, Takami had used her clout as an apparently high ranking member of MBI to get a confirmation on the impromptu maternity test that the airport security provided. When three independent firms concluded that we were indeed mother and son, along with the physical evidence of my adoption and educational history of my existence these past few years, the results were ironclad. I really was Ichirou Sahashi, Takami's long lost son.

The two of us were still a little unsure as to how to act around one another in some cases. On Takami's part, I was still that little boy who she watched grow up and who she thought she lost forever. On the other hand, I had never really had any maternal influence in my life before. Taiga Fujimura had always been a sisterly figure in my life, and despite our relative ages it always seemed like I was the elder. My paternal figure, for the length of time that Kiritsugu had been in my life before succumbing to Angra Mainyu's curse, hadn't the ability or inclination to be an ideal parental figure. As much as I love and respect him, much of our time together was my looking after him as much as his looking out for me.

My first meeting with my siblings had gone much better than with Takami, although much of that was probably due to the distinct absence of Karasuba. Yukari was almost exactly like a younger Taiga, exuberant at the prospect of her other older brother still being alive. Much like Taiga, she had absolutely no problem with treating me like she'd known me her entire life as her older brother. It was equally heartwarming and awkward at first, but her straightforward personality smoothed things over rather quickly.

She was a petite girl, still growing into the woman she would later become. She had black hair like Takami used to have and blue eyes. She was wearing a black, lower thigh length black dress, two thin straps of material keeping it on her shoulders. Over it she wore a pale off-white jacket that she left open in the front. On her feet were calve length hiking boots, a strange concession given the rest of her attire. At the time it seemed like an odd sort of fashion statement, but from what I know now that was just how she was; I think she got an extra dose of Takami in her.

Yukari was just graduating from her private, all-girls school back at the family home in the country and was just about to undergo her first round of testing for her application to Shin Tokyo University. Given how smart she is, I had every confidence that she'd be accepted. I must confess that I was looking forward to her being closer to us; I found myself getting along with her the best out of everyone in the Sahashi family.

Some of the ease at accepting Yukari so easily must be attributed to that, while I'd never had a brother or mother figure in my life, I'd had two sisters I'd loved dearly. Interacting with Yukari came just as easily as living with Taiga and inviting Illya into our home. It also didn't hurt that her vivacity and good cheer were infectious.

Yukari seemed to take to me just as easily. The adorable ball of energy was excited to have another older brother to tease. She had been quite surprised that I was just as willing to tease back that it started an impromptu and nigh inappropriate innuendo war between the two of us. By how scandalized Minato looked, he must have been easy prey for her all his life. A fact that made her seem to relish the challenge at besting me even more.

Of course, I should probably thank (or curse) Rin for my propensity towards innuendo and sarcasm. Underneath her school idol persona, Rin was a domineering and spiteful, not to mention smart, overbearing, and wrathful little witch. Or Magus, I guess I should refer to her. Very few knew that underneath all that she was also an insatiable pervert. More than half of my comebacks and all of my composure were gained in dealing with that side of Rin. In a way, I think I understand how Archer came to take amusement in sarcasm and word games, if I was right about his contact with the tiny Magus being any similar to my own.

Where Yukari was a bombastic young girl, Minato was the opposite. At our first introduction he was incredibly reserved and exceedingly polite. It might have been that we were strangers, but I had the feeling that he felt much as I did; neither of us knew how to react to each other for never having a brother before. It wasn't as if he had any experience with having a brother and whereas I had Taiga to know what having an older sibling was like, Minato had always been the oldest and most mature of Takami's children.

He too had black hair, leaving me to wonder where my auburn hair came from. Was it from our mysterious alive-but-unmentioned father? I might have thought that something odd may have happened to me in the Fuyuki City Fire to make it change if Takami's picture of us didn't show me as having auburn hair as well. His eyes were gray, soft in the way that belied kindness and innocence to the sorts of things I'd been facing for the past few years. The kind of eyes I might have had if I hadn't decided to be an Emiya. He was almost as tall as I was too.

Initially he had been acting dour as he stuck to the fringes of our family reunion. It had taken Yukari's increasingly bawdy behavior to drag him into the conversation properly, if only to reprimand her. How effecting that reprimand was, blushing and stuttering mess that he became, in reigning in his sister was obvious as Takami and Yukari devolved into laughter.

Once he and I got past our nerves it turned out that Minato was an incredibly kind person. He actually reminded me of myself at that age; back when I held the title of fake janitor. I even told him as much. Of course, I was surprised at how well spoken and intelligent he was; before this dinner the only thing I knew about him was how he failed his first entrance exam. Although, seeing the dynamic between him and the two strong willed and energetic women, it wasn't hard to understand why he was so shy and accommodating.

His problems just stemmed from his lack of confidence. I was the same way before the Grail War. Hopefully it wouldn't take an event like a life threatening battle royal between magical beings for to cure him of it. After all, what were the chances of that?

After meeting my new siblings I decided that maybe a year off getting to know and support them wouldn't be the worst thing I've ever done. They were cute kids and I liked them.

My reminiscing came to an end as I put the finishing touches on today's breakfast. The finished product was three egg omelets over rice with picked vegetable salad and a light miso. One of the omelets went to the insatiable crow at the kitchen island. When she first started to break into the apartment for breakfast I had refused to feed her as I cooked for Takami and myself. Unfortunately, she took it upon herself to act her namesake and pilfered my food whenever I wasn't looking. And then often when I was. In the end, it became easier to feed the damn woman than to fight over my food with her; she kept coming around despite mine and Takami's best efforts anyway.

"Ugh…" Takami moaned as she shuffled into the kitchen. Her work clothes hung disheveled, the top few buttons of her top unfastened and her tie hanging loosely around her neck. I'd like to say her zombie like shuffle to the breakfast table was not a daily event… but that would be a lie.

Takami was a night owl. She was also a workaholic and her workload with MBI kept her up at all hours of the night. That she then had to get up at a normal hour and repeat the schedule again made the cycle perpetuate. Waking her up was much like waking Rin; you didn't if you liked living. Since I was almost unanimously considered suicidal, I had no problem in waking either of these women up. The secret was to have something to bribe them into sparing you. I used coffee and breakfast.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Takami snapped as she slumped into her seat. She pulled a cigarette from her breast pocket and brought it up to her lips. "What did I tell you about breaking into my house?"

"Hmm…" Karasuba said around a mouthful, "…That it was charming and endearing?" Takami's response was a deep sigh and a drag on her cigarette.

"Karasbua, no talking," I said offhand as I set Takami's meal in front of her before snatching Takami's cigarette from her lips and putting it out on the tile. "And I thought I asked you not to smoke at the table. Now eat up, both of you. I have your lunch made and so help me if you don't eat it I'll find out and make you. Don't think for a moment that I won't," I scold her before turning to Karasuba. "And you leave that bento alone! You don't get anything you mangy scavenger."

Both women simultaneously waved their hands at me flippantly, literally waving off my threats as unimportant. Then, as their synchronicity occurred to them they turned to stare at each other. Well, Takami glared and Karasuba merely grinned until her eyes crinkled into slits. I tucked into my own breakfast silently. This was another lesson that had taken me unfortunately longer than it should have; when a strong willed woman was upset, do not draw their attention. In my life, many of the women I knew had steel in them, making this a useful lesson indeed.

"Will you be home for dinner tonight?" I asked Takami, startling her from her glowering at the impervious Karasuba.

Takami shook her head in negation. "I don't think so. This week is the end of my last project and that means a lot of late nights. Don't be too surprised if I'm not home in the mornings either. After this week things should calm down for me, work wise, as we enter the next phase." She gesticulated her points with her chopsticks, pointing and poking and waving wherever she felt appropriate.

"Alright, in that case I may stick with Minato tonight." I nod. Today was the day that Minato's test results got back. I was going to pick him up from the testing center and spend the rest of the day with him; whether it was in celebration or consolation was yet to be seen. "Should we still call you with the results?"

Takami made a strange noise in her throat before coughing slightly. "Ah, yes. Give me a call when you pick him up, it's always good to talk to my baby." Where she started off as slightly off guard, as she spoke she grew a smile that only a parent must be capable of. It was a face that promised shame and embarrassment to her spawn. I purposefully didn't focus on that smile and focused on her hesitant pause when she first started.

"That and you already hacked the results." I said nonchalantly.

"Yes," Takami said as she nodded along, "I hacked them last week – what?" She cut herself off as she realized what she had admitted. Karasuba began to silently chuckle at Takami's discomfort at being caught. "No, I did no such thing. You can't prove it you know."

I merely smiled as she shifted her glare onto me, trying futilely to deny her abuse of power where her family was concerned. "Not buying it. So, will you tell me his results?"

"What results?" She averted her eyes from mine, "How could I know when you haven't told me yet?" She caught sight of Karasuba again and scowled, but that only seemed to increase the gray haired woman's amusement.

"Uh huh," I snorted, "Fine. We'll call you with the results you totally don't already know and couldn't possibly have known." I rolled my eyes at our combined childishness and moved to clean up after breakfast. "Have a nice day Takami."

"Only her?" Karasuba mock pouted, or at least it sounded so. The thought of Karasuba doing anything like pout was damaging to my sanity. "Why don't I get any farewells, I-Chi-" Thunk. Thunk.

The chopsticks I'd just collected sailed past her head and into the wall in the dining room.

"Shirou, what did I tell you about putting holes in my wall?" Takami lectured me sternly. She didn't comment on my violent reaction to my birth name, not after the first and last fight we had over it nearly ruined any relationship we could have had. That issue between us was resolved now and our relationship was the better for it.

"What do you mean?" I blinked as innocently as I could. "Those are all Karasuba's fault. You know I think she's been stealing too." Not technically a lie on either case. The chopsticks I had thrown were conspicuously missing from the hole they punched in the wall.

*Scene Break, Minato's POV*

Come on, come on, where is it. I read back down the list of scores. It wasn't there. My testing number was 107188, but no matter how many times I checked I didn't see my number on the list of accepted applicants.

Once again it seemed that I failed to get into Shin Tokyo University.

I sighed, my breath misting before me in the cold. This was miserable. Not only had I spent the last hour standing here in the chill waiting for the scores to be released but now I had to call Mom and let her know I failed again. Yukari was back at home in the country so I wouldn't have to see her disappointment. Not unless I cut my losses and went home myself, anyway. I could always study again, try next year and maybe get in? Dammit, this was too much stress!

I shied away from the posting board and the crowds of jubilant students, slinking off like the other multiple repeaters to die in humiliation. I had to call Mom soon, but I didn't want to yet. I didn't want to admit my failure and now I had more than just Mom and Yukari to deal with.

My newly rediscovered older brother, Ichirou, or rather, I should call him Shirou Emiya. He didn't take back his old name, choosing to keep his adopted name. When Mom first told us she had someone for us to meet I was nervous. Yukari was excited, talking about how Mom found herself a new boyfriend and how cool it would be to make fun of him, or have him take us places, or whatever. I couldn't imagine Mom with another man, even though she never talked about our father…

When I first saw the man Mom brought with us to dinner I was no longer nervous. I was absolutely terrified.

The man was tall, standing almost a full foot above Mom. His light auburn hair was speckled with gray hair, mostly centered on his temples. No, not gray, white. His skin was noticeably tanned, a light dusting of bronze just enough to give him some color. He was wearing a long black coat that hung to his calves over a pair of blue jeans and a form fitting blue shirt decorated with two perpendicular red stripes intersecting over his heart like a cross.

Those things weren't what terrified me though, for with the exception of his whitening hair he was pretty plain looking. His eyes though, were flecked with brilliant gold and were piercing in their intensity. When he looked at me I felt rooted in place, the instinctive urge to fight or flee taking hold under his gaze. Yukari seemed not to notice how this man's eyes flickered over both of us, searching and measuring, as she dashed over to him and accused him of being Mom's boyfriend.

It took me much of the night to realize that man, and apparently my older brother Shirou, wasn't as severe or harsh as he appeared, but was kind and polite and just nervous at the prospect of meeting his long lost siblings.

Although… sometimes he'd get that look on his face again that made him look so scary. His eyes would narrow and sharpen like daggers. His face would grow hard and hands would twitch and his arms straighten slightly, like he was used to having something in them.

He was a private contractor he said, but from those looks and his skin coloring, I think he might have been a soldier or something.

It was his opinion that scared me the most. Mom and Yukari were nice and accommodating that I didn't take stress too well and it influenced my examinations. How this person, who looked so grim and hardened, would treat me after this was another cause for worry. After all, he had only been my brother for a few weeks, what did we really know of each other?

As I walked away from the board I caught sight of his stern countenance, once again freezing me in place. Something about that gaze, when unexpected, was starling. It disappeared when he smiled as he started waving and walking over to me. How could he looks so… weathered one second and so warm the next, like he turned a switch in his mind?

"Hey, Minato," He greeted me. His voice was warm too, which made me once again realize I was judging him on his outward appearance and not what I've come to know about him. He was kind and strangely brotherly to me. I mean, he was my brother, but we just met and… I think I'm over thinking things again. Breath in…and release.

"Hello, Shirou." I replied as he came to a stop in front of me. He must have red my countenance as a negative to his unspoken question as to whether or not I passed.

"Didn't make it in then, huh?" Here it was, I braced myself, the moment of truth. "Well, I guess there's always next year, the important part is perseverance." Huh? He slapped a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. "You're a smart kid, Minato. Keep your head up, lacking confidence is the enemy. Have you called Takami yet?"

It looks like once again I was stressing out about a mountain that turned into less than a molehill.

"Er, not yet." I winced. There was a conversation that would go exactly as I thought it would.

"Alright, well, give her a call and I'll take you out to lunch. My treat."

I nodded and dialed Mom's number. I didn't really expect any company, but with my dour thoughts it might be nice. It would mean more time with Shirou and the two of us were still getting used to one another. I was studying when he offered to take the family to the Emiya residence and introduce his late older sister and too busy with the exam to spend time together until now. Even Mom halving my allowance and telling me to stick with it didn't bother me too much after the prospect of the day with my older brother.

"Hey, Minato!" Another voice called over the din of the crowd of would be students. "Minato, wait up man!"

I quickly looked around for whoever was calling out to me, but I couldn't see anyone. It could be another Minato, but everywhere I looked all I saw were milling applicants. Shirou didn't have such a problem apparently, as I felt his fingers grip the top of my head and aim me in the direction of the shouts. I felt like a child again, but in a good way. I think? Hey, wait a minute! I wasn't that much shorter than he was!

It was pretty uncomfortable though, as he literally turned my head towards someone I knew. "Yasaka?" I asked.

"Yo!" Yasaka jogged up to us, panting slightly after having fought through the crowd. "So, did you make it, mate?"

Yasaka was a classmate of mine in the preparatory exam class who, like me, was a repeat offender who'd failed his first time trying to get into a university. He had light brown hair and was dressed to impress. Instead of casual clothes, he stood apart from the rest of the gathered students by wearing a well-pressed suit and button up shirt with the top few buttons unfastened.

"Ah, um… no, I didn't make it this time either." I admitted shamefully, "Did you get in?"

"Not at all!" He laughed. I wish I had the ability to just laugh off failure like that, but I guess that was Yasaka's power; to play serious things off light. Judging from his clothes he was doing well for himself despite not getting into University. Yasaka was an easy going individual, which made it easy for us to get along even though I wouldn't consider us good friends. He did seem a bit flakey at times, but that didn't really matter.

"Is this a friend of yours, Minato?" Shirou asked, startling me. I had forgotten to introduce him! Oh, this was so embarrassing! At least it was done and nothing more embarrassing could happen.

"Ah! Shirou, yes, this is my friend, Yasaka. Yasaka, I'd like you to meet Shirou Emiya."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yasaka." Shirou gave a slight bow, "Minato, if you'd like to talk to your friend more, then I wouldn't mind inviting him along to lunch with us."

Yasaka looked at him, his face slightly red and then at me and then back to Shirou before bowing, "Ah, I wouldn't want to interrupt your date or anything! Besides, I should really get to work. Maybe I'll just catch you around later Minato."

Oh god, I was wrong! How could I ever be more wrong! This was even worse! Now I was mistakenly taken to be in THAT kind of relationship with him! I was so flustered that I couldn't even deny his accusations, my throat completely closed and my mouth didn't work and why the hell was Shirou laughing?

"Date? I think you're mistaken, Yasaka," Shirou chuckled as he patted the top of my head, mussing my hair. "I'm his older brother."

The words still didn't quite register right when I heard them, but they weren't unpleasant either. Yasaka looked shocked before his face colored even more, giving him a rather impressive impression of a tomato.

"I'm sorry for my mistake!" Yasaka apologized. "I didn't know you had a brother, Minato."

"N-no harm done, yeah?" I managed, finally pushing Shirou's hand from my head.

"Indeed. So, shall you join us?" Shirou added, "Or do you need to leave still?"

"I'd like to, but I was serious about needing to go to work soon."

"Why don't we accompany you then? I'm sure Minato and I can find someplace nearby afterwards," Shirou offered. "That is, if you two still want to talk more."

With two nods we were off.

I had always noticed that, even during our studies, Yasaka always maintained an impeccable dress code. Or, well, he was better dressed than everyone else, preferring button up shirts and dress pants compared to the other student's jeans and winter coats or sweaters. It turns out that there was a reason for his formal wear, even if I had always assumed that was his style.

"So, you're a member of a host club, then?" Shirou asked.

"Yup! It's actually a pretty recent development. I was a little worried about it initially, since I'd never done anything like this," Yasaka responded. "But my sempai Kagari has taken great care of me."

"Sempai?" I ask, "What does being a host involve?"

"Well, for the most part I just pour drinks and make conversation. Kagari-sempai has this really cool trick where he'll light a client's cigarette without a lighter! He's been really helpful in teaching me some stage and conversation tricks and mixology," Yasaka gushed. It was actually getting a little uncomfortable. "He's been really supportive of me and he's so handsome and smart."

Suddenly, I noticed Shirou stiffen from the corner of my eye. Yasaka didn't seem to notice as he kept on walking and talking.

"Actually, it seems like the only reason I go to work anymore is to see – Kagari-sempai!?" He too suddenly jolts to a stop, red faced.

"Yo," A new voice broke in, "Are these friends of yours Yasaka-kun?"

This new voice was standing only a few feet away from us. He was also the target of Yasaka's embarrassed stare. He had close cropped light gray hair that framed his face and wore a very expensive white silk shirt and black pants, over which he had an open black jacket. He had a kindly smile on his face, what Yukari would have called a national treasure. Kagari was 100% bishonen; angular face and a slim but fit body just shy of androgynous. I could see how he'd be a successful host, even if that thought was a slightly uncomfortable one.

"Ah, how are you, sir?" Yasaka bowed, "Kagari-sempai, are you going to work too?"

"Please, don't do that." Kagari tried to wave off Yasaka's bowing, "We aren't at the club so relax. And no, I'm taking the day off today. I had other business to attend to."

"Aww, ok." Yasaka looked dejected. He was just going on about how this man was one of the drawing points about his host club gig. "Oh, before I forget, let me introduce you to my friend Minato Sahashi and his brother Shirou Emiya."

Kagari turned his attention from Yasaka to us, and immediately appeared to choke, his face lighting up in a red similar to that of Yasaka's just earlier.

"Ah, Kagari-sempai, are you ok?" Yasaka asked looking as nervous as I was. What just happened? Was he really choking on something? What should I do? Just as I decided to see if he was alright, Shirou seemed to have the same idea. We just reached out to steady him when he jumped back as if burned.

And I found myself hauled several feet away by the scruff of my coat as Shirou threw me behind him, taking up a stance that was more than a little threatening. Kagari seemed just as tense and, for a moment, I thought they were going to fight or something. I had suspected Shirou of being in the military or something and his reaction was more than a little strange.

"What are you two doing?" Yasaka asked, breaking the strange tension that settled over the four of us.

"Ah/Um…" Shirou and Kagari seemed to mutter at the same time, looking quite foolish as they glanced at one another. They both shrugged and relaxed their posture slightly, though Kagari still clutched a hand to his chest.

"Are you okay now, Kagari-san?" I asked diplomatically, still unsure of what just happened.

"Yes… yes, thank you. Sorry, I just don't like being touched." Kagari addressed me, still looking faintly red. "Maybe I'm coming down with something. It was nice meeting you both, but I think I'm going to go home for now." He said and walked away at our goodbyes, Yasaka trailing after him to make sure he was really okay.

Shirou didn't take his eyes off the two of them until they turned the corner though. That serious look entered his eyes, narrowing them and tensing his hands. Once they were out of sight he relaxed, once again looking like the kind hearted man that I'd been getting to know. Maybe my guess that there were two sides to him was more accurate than I thought. Like there was the kind older brother Shirou that was kind and helped us and there was that serious Shirou with steely intensity and the feeling of… I wasn't even sure, but the second one scared and confused me.

*Scene Break, Shirou's POV*

We ended up eating at a small café not far from where Yasaka and Kagari parted ways. Lunch was quite for the most part as Minato seemed strangely subdued since our confrontation with Kagari. Well, I guess I was pretty subdued as well. The smell of smoke hadn't left me, even when its source had.

Kagari… he was the second of whatever it was that inhabited the city that I'd met so far. I thought I'd gotten used to it for the most part with the amount of time Karasuba has been harassing me. In fact, it was in no small part that due to her I'd been avoiding areas where the smell of honey accumulated and those who smelled of it. I didn't know what these new beings were but I didn't want anything more to do with them if I could help it. Their presence would do one of two things for this city; bring down the Mage Association or bring down the Church. Three things, it could be both.

If that happened, then this city and my new family would be in danger. Once more I'd be plunged into the life of bloodshed and sacrifice that I'd come here to escape for a while. At least, that's what I told myself, but back there when the smell of smoke sharply increased I had been ready to kill Kagari. It was a stupid action on both our parts, his and mine, that we'd almost fought in the middle of the street, in the middle of the day and most stupidly of all in front of witnesses. That would have been a one way ticket to a Sealing Designation and an Exterminatus.

But Minato was there. When he reached out to help Kagari and the sharp smell of smoke increased in preparation of magecraft, I found that I didn't care. I would plunge this whole area into death in order to save my brother and I moved to Trace. What a stupid thing to do. It was only thanks to that young man, Yasaka that prevented blood from being spilt.

In my investigations into this new type I had come to several conclusions. One was that their magical signature was that of the sweet smell of honey. I wasn't sure what this meant as of yet, but it was a useful indicator that allowed me to stealthy follow them on occasion. Two was that in addition to this indicator smell of their Type was that they had a second odor that I suspected held clues to what their abilities were. This second aspect was yet unconfirmed because of things like Karasuba, who smelt of the bloodshed of countless slaughters.

Kagari's power, I assumed form the smell of smoke, was a variant of fire manipulation. That made him one of several elemental types that I thought I'd identified. Another was a blond woman who smelt of brine and sea salt that lurked on the tops of some of the taller buildings in the city. Every so often I also thought I smelt the odor of tilled earth with the slight alkaline scent of metal.

Most importantly of all, and one of the reasons I hadn't begun a crusade against these active Types myself was that they seemed to hold no ill intention towards humanity. Okay, this last one was a stretch, especially when most of my interactions with this new Type were with Karasuba. But Takami was comfortable with her presence… for a certain value of comfortable anyway, and Karasuba didn't appear to go on killing rampages where she drained the lifeblood of her victims will maddened glee. Well, she didn't as far as I knew. I really hoped she didn't, anyway because having to kill her would be a battle I'm not sure I'd walk away from, even with the use of my more esoteric abilities.

No, the stance I'd taken was to wait and watch for now. If the status quo shifted to where these new beings were indeed a threat, then I would be forced to act. Until then, I'd gather what information I could and contact the other Enforcers if and when the need arose.

The thought that I was being irresponsible stayed with me throughout lunch, despite my attempts at ignoring it.

So when the rapidly approaching scent of honey once again reached my nose I was understandably perturbed. Perturbation then rapidly became concern as the source got closer at an increasing speed.

Left? No, just pedestrians. Right? No, same as the left. Back? No, we just left the café and in front was the street we walked onto. That only left…

"Kyaaa! Please get out of the way!"

Minato and I looked up at the perfect moment to catch the falling girl, if you loosely interpret the definition of perfect to be 'unable to do anything as' and catch to be 'carried to the ground by the weight of said falling girl.'

Well, in this case it was Minato who 'caught' her. She was lying on top of him in the most ridiculous outfit I'd ever seen. The top part was reminiscent of a shrine maiden's outfit, or at least made to very loosely resemble one or might be found in a specialty store. It had long white sleeves that opened up at the wrist and was tied in the back with a large red obi. She also had on mid-calf length brown boots and white stockings up to her ruffled red skirt. At last, I thought it was a skirt though it appeared to be little more than a belt and did nothing to cover her modesty by the way her underwear was resting on my little brother's face – one that was turning an interesting shade of red as his gaze froze locked onto the sight before him. For some reason she also had on bright pink padded gloves, the kind that professional fighters used to protect their knuckles.

I think my eye twitched at the sight. "Are you alright, Miss?" I had already come too close today to turning the metropolitan streets into a bloodbath, so I decided to use a bit more tact with this one. Besides, it was a little hard to inconspicuously kill someone sitting on your brother's face.

"As… As I expected," The girl muttered half to herself as she groped around on all fours, awkwardly extracting herself from on top of Minato, "that was too high to jump from."

Two more scents were closing in on our position, bringing with them the smell of ozone. I looked away from the thing with my brother for a moment, missing their side conversation in favor of trying to identify where these new scents were coming from.

The sudden spike of ozone made me abandon that plan.

"Watch out/Get down!" The strange shrine girl and I cried simultaneously. She tackled Minato as I pulled him towards me, ending up with both of them behind me as a bolt of lightning struck the space where we'd all vacated.

"There's no use in running, now come on and fight us!"

The two people that landed just down the street from us were the origin of the shout and smell of ozone. If I was right about what that scent meant, then they were the source of the lightning bolt as well. The sight of them had my eyebrow once again twitching. Actually, this entire spectacle grated on me for multiple reasons.

One was that these newcomers were dressed in what could only be described as matching rubber outfits, not much more that underwear and bras connected to thigh length skin tight rubber boots and a matching pair of arm gloves. I was suddenly thankful that Karasuba's taste in clothing wasn't as fetishistic as those of the rest of her Type I've met today. They were also almost identical twins, tall with long black hair that they wore in two pony tails. The only noticeable difference between the two is that one was wearing a blue outfit and had a larger bust than the one in purple.

The second reason for my eye twitching had me gritting my teeth as I stepped between the twins and Minato. "What the hell are you two doing?" I demanded. This was no longer a time for restraint. These women just used their powers in front of a crowd of bystanders on a city street.

"What? Hey, dumbass, get out of the way!" The first one dressed in blue yelled at me before turning to address the girl behind me. "Stop hiding behind those two and fight us!"

Oh. I was pissed. My circuits thrummed in response to my agitated state.

"Shut up." I growled, loudly enough to be heard over the crowds around us. I must have been more effective than I thought as the street got dead silent. "I don't know what is going on but you two," and I pointed to the S&M twins, "were chasing her," I refer to the shrine girl, "trying to fight her, yes?"

"Yes/ What's your damn point?" The purple and blue twin said respectively.

"And you were just trying to escape." I address the one behind me, sheltering Minato. That got her almost enough points to forgive her endangering him in the first place.

"Yes!" She nodded enthusiastically, bobbing with the movement. This action did interesting things with her ridiculous anatomy and almost ended up knocking Minato unconscious for being too close to her swinging bosom. "I'm not going to fight until I find my Ashikabi!"

"Okay." I nodded, disregarding her and turned back to the lightning twins before me. "Now at what point did you two think it was a good idea to start throwing about lightning bolts in broad daylight in the middle of the street, when it's packed full of innocent pedestrians?"

I punctuated my points by meeting both of their eyes. If I had perfected this look back in the Grail War it would have probably made Archer proud. Well, that or even more of a bastard before I rammed several feet of steel into him. This was the face of someone who had lived through hells you couldn't even conceive, because it was. This was the face born of the rage at arrogant mages, homicidal apostles, madmen and psychopaths and god dammed Kirei. This was Rin Tohsaka's 'I'm-so-incredibly-pissed-off-that-the-only-thing- keeping-me-from-killing-you-is-this-smile' face.

"N-now look here," The one in blue stuttered, taking a step forward in an attempt to be intimidating. Or as a rallying point, I didn't care. "You can't just show up and…"

I interrupted her again, "And what would have happened if I didn't notice your attack and pull my brother out of the way? Were you even watching where you aimed?"

"Ah," The one in purple started, her tone properly apologetic, "We were going to be careful to avoid hitting anyone else."

"Shut up." I growled and took a calming breath. It would be wrong for me to end them for just the same reasons I berated them for: it was too public, someone might get hurt. "Go home. Whatever you had hoped to achieve here is done with. If you persist in your reckless endangerment of others then I will be forced to kill you."

My statement, for that is what it was, caused them to recoil.

"H-hey, you can't just…" the blue twin started before being gently pulled back by the seemingly more level headed purple twin.

"No, he's right. We should leave."

"Dammit." Her counterpart growled before turning back to me, "Don't think we'll forget this!"

I didn't turn from them until they were out of sight. Maybe I should rethink my policy of non-intervention into this matter…

"Aniki…?"

…if these new Types were so incredibly stupid then there was no way the Association wouldn't notice them soon if they hadn't already.

"Shirou!" I started, turning to face Minato, "Are you okay?"

"Huh," I blinked, "Oh, yes, I'm fine."

I must have been lost in thought for a second there.

"Thank you so much for saving me!" The shrine girl had latched onto Minato at some point, "I'm sorry for getting you both involved."

"I-It was nothing, nothing at all," Minato waved off her thanks. It was kind of cute; I think he had a crush on the buxom young thing. Wait, no, this should probably be stopped, shouldn't it. Encouraging a relationship between him and a magical being would be at cross purposes to trying to protect him. Or am I being intolerant of nonhumans?

"Ah! I haven't introduced myself!" The girl backed up and bowed, "I'm number 88, Musubi!"

Number 88? I blinked. What was that supposed to signify?

"I'm Minato Sahashi," Minato bowed back.

"And I'm…" My turn at introductions was cut off by a loud rumbling. Was that an animal? It sounded like the growling of a bear or something.

Suddenly, Musubi collapsed to her knees. "Uwah… so hungry…" she moaned pitifully.

As Minato looked up to me expectantly I could help but bury my head in the palm of my hand.

"Alright, let's bring her back to your place, if that's alright with you Musubi. I'll make us all diner."

As we left I almost didn't notice the faint scent of smoke that receded as we left. Or the other scent that disappeared along with it, the scent of blood.

*Scene Break*

Whatever this Musubi was, she was a monster. There was simply no other explanation. What had occurred here was a massacre. An inexcusable act for no purpose other than to sate her desires. What force in the universe could condone such a being to exist? She gave no remorse for her actions. Just the complete and utter elimination of all that stood before her.

It was like feeding Saber all over again.

Surrounding the ravenous Musubi were the empty dishes serving as the only remnants of Minato's pantry and the newly bought groceries from this afternoon's outing. The amount of food this girl put away way was truly unbelievable. I was concerned that our hospitality would leave us eaten out of house and home.

"Ah! You two really saved me back there!" Musubi exclaimed, patting her hopefully now full stomach. "First rescuing me from those evil Sekirei and now this…"

I was in the kitchen readying the last batch of food, this time for Minato and me. I'd have to take Minato out shopping tomorrow, but that was okay. For a walking food apocalypse Musubi seemed to be a nice girl, even if she was more than a bit klutzy.

"So how did you end up being chased by those two in the rubber outfits?" I called out. The other two were in the living room, or what passed for one in the small one bedroom apartment. An unfold-able Kotatsu was set in the room, the site of the current food related atrocity perpetrated by the stomach of an inhuman being.

"I've been searching for my Ashikabi." She called back. "But I lost my MBI card on one of my jumps. When I went back to look for it I was attacked by those mean Sekirei! And then I couldn't find anywhere to sleep because I had no money and I was really hungry too! So I thought to myself 'Musubi! You can find your Ashikabi even faster if you can see more! Once you find him you can go eat too, it'll be perfect!' So I jumped really high again. Although, I didn't think about how to land so I fell in front of those meanies again so I had to run. But thankfully I ran into you, Minato!"

Musubi was talking so fast that it was hard to hear what she was actually saying, let alone understand it. Ashikabi? Sekirei? I felt a little guilty at trying to pump this girl for information given how clueless she was. Alas, some sacrifices have to be made in order to save others. At least it wasn't like I was hurting her or anything, if anything it was the other way around with the way she ate!

"… I wish… someone like you could be my… Ashikabi…" Musubi's voice got quiet. Actually, the entire room did. Why couldn't I hear anything? The scent of honey grew steadily more potent.

A bright light suddenly engulfed the other room.

Shit! An attack? In the confines of the room I hadn't smelled anything other than Musubi and the night's dinner. Or could that girl be responsible? I thought she was a little airheaded, but what if she just played me to get Minato alone? Maybe they were apostles and she was feeding on him right now! I spilled the remains of what I was cooking, scattering pans and half cooked food all over the floor in my haste to get to Minato. Half a dozen blades were called to the front of my mind, ready to form and launch at the first indication of trouble.

"Minato! Are you alright? Answer me!" I yelled, stumbling into the living room.

The sight that greeted me was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting to find Musubi crouched over the still form of Minato, her lips dribbling his blood as she stared at me with red eyes. What I saw instead was the two of them kissing. Musubi was leaning over Minato, their lips locked, as brilliant pink wings of light erupted from her back.

By the Root of the world, just what the hell was I looking at?

"I've found it… my Ashikabi," Musubi pulled away from him just long enough to mutter, "Forever and ever."

Something about those words caused a cold pit to form in my stomach. That sounded like the end of a magical contract. What was with the formation of wings of light though? Something about this scenario was uncomfortably familiar. Too many coincidences, too many things were reminding me of back then.

Whatever conclusion I was about to come to was interrupted by the sound of Minato's phone ringing. "Gah!" he yelped, inadvertently pulling Musubi on top of him as he fell to the floor.

"Ah! Minato! So soon?" Musubi cried. Minato struggled between groping for the ringing phone trapped in his pocket and trying not to grope the giggling girl who had entrapped his head in her generous endowments.

"No, Musubi! The phone! Let me get the phone!" Their struggle was beginning to shift clothing to the verge of indecency. This was not something I should be seeing as an older brother. So, instead of looking away I took the prime opportunity to tease him.

"Ara? Can't even wait until I'm out of the house, Minato?" I chuckle, shaking my head. Musubi might be a bit vapid and may have just bound my little brother into a magical contract whose purpose I had no idea, but she did seem to like him. Actually, from where the hell were hands going just now? "Oh, what a fiend of a brother I have."

Eventually, Minato managed to round a few bases and come away with the ringing phone, and act that stopped the unintentionally dirty and definitely funny struggle.

"Aww, that's it?" She sounded more than vaguely disappointed. I think my eyebrow twitched. That really was little more than a ruffled belt.

"Who could be calling at this hour?" Minato mumbled as he flipped open the phone. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Dun dudu daaaa!" the voice on the other end yelled, echoing in the small room. It sounded like they were trying to imitate the winning bell from a television show or maybe the victory theme of a video game. "Congratulations! You were magnificently chosen to be the partner of a Sekirei!"

No…

All traces of good humor left me. In its place I was left with dread and rage and disbelief.

No… don't tell me it was starting again. Magical contracts between two people, one normal and the other a magical being. I was too stunned to register as the person on the phone kept talking.

"Oh, number 88, Musubi. Are you doing well?" The man on the other end of the phone asked the excitable girl. Sekirei, that's what he called her Type, wasn't it?

"Oh, yes professor! My Ashikabi is very nice!" Musubi jumped Minato, causing him to drop the phone.

"Ah! What happened? Hello!?" The man yelled as the phone clattered onto the floor and over to me.

Picking it up, I almost put the phone to my ear before I saw a strange, white haired man on the inside display. He was wearing a custom tailored suit underneath a white coat. The lapels and collar were popped up framing his head. He looked utterly ridiculous, and with the strange grin dominating his face he looked more than a little creepy.

"Minato, why do you have the picture of a strange man on your phone? Is there something you'd like to tell me? I promise not to judge you or anything, but this might be something to talk to me or Takami about."

"…"

"…"

"..."

I was treated to three disbelieving stares, the strangest of all coming from the phone's display picture. Actually, that one wasn't strange so much as it was creepy.

"Um, Shirou-san," Musubi was the first to recover, "You do know what a video phone is, don't you?"

"What? Don't be ridiculous. Phones and videos are two completely different things. This is way too small to play a video?" I gesture with the phone in my hand.

"Ahaha! That's priceless!" The picture said, laughing and falling over in his chair and oh… that wasn't a picture at all. Or rather, it was but of someone on the other end and…

"Oh. That's what you mean by video phone." Man, I feel more than a little silly now.

"You really aren't that good with technology, are you Ichirou-kun?" The man asked, "Now please hand the phone back to Minato-kun."

I tensed so much that I nearly snapped the phone. With the exception of my interactions with Takami, Karasuba and Minato I'd been keeping a low profile, but my name as Shirou Emiya is well known amongst agents of the Clock Tower of whom I've made some enemies. But this man didn't call me Shirou, he called me Ichirou, and only very few people knew me by that name. The one thing they all had in common was that they worked for MBI.

"How do you know our names? On that note where did you get this number?" Minato asked, disentangling himself from Musubi once more.

"He works for MBI, Minato. He probably got both from Takami, am I right?" I asked the man. Now that I'd placed who he worked for he was starting to look familiar. I didn't know many people at MBI other than a handful of techs, Takami and Karasuba, but their CEO had been in the news a lot lately. In fact, if you took away the weird coat then he bore more than a trace resemblance to the man. "Oh. I didn't think we'd warrant a call from Minaka Hiroto, MBI's CEO. Is Takami alright?"

"What?" He looked puzzled before waving his hands flippantly, "Oh, yes, yes, Takami is fine. Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave now Ichirou-kun. I have an important announcement for Minato-kun."

"I'm not leaving. Whatever it is you're doing, I think I've enough exposure to it to hear the full story. If not I'll just find out from Karasuba." There was my card, now let's see if it's enough to bring him to the table.

"Oho! Well played there!" He clapped, "I have been hearing about you from our lovely number 04, so I suppose it's only fair that you be introduced to the Sekirei Plan as well. There are 108 Sekirei that have been freed all over the city. These Sekirei will fight and fight and fight and fight! The Ashikabi of the last remaining Sekirei is given permission to ascend."

"Shirou, I think this is a prank call. Just hang up." Minato said in perfect deadpan.

I nodded and moved to do so. This was just an awful prank. There was no secret war in Shin Tokyo. Those things were over with on this side of the world. Yes, there was absolutely no possible way that this could be happening.

"No! Wait! Don't hang up!" Minaka cried, flailing about on screen. Against my better judgment I stilled my thumb over the end button. "I assure you that this is no prank. You are hereby a part of a larger game. I suggest you take it seriously if you want to win."

"Fight and fight and fight and fight," I quoted him, "Are you telling me that this Sekirei plan is a battle royal until only one remains?" I waited until he nodded, which he did enthusiastically, before beginning.

"What are the rules of engagement? Is there a boundary to the combat zone? What are the conditions of victory?" I knew it. I had been ignoring all of the indications. How many times have I had the same thought since setting foot in this city? "Permission to ascend? What do you mean by that? Who is proctoring these fights, MBI?"

Minaka started laughing. "Ohoho! What luck! It's a shame you aren't the one in this game, Ichirou-kun! I'd expect interesting things from you. It's still early though so maybe you'll wing a little bird of your own! But as to your questions, you'll have to ask number 88. It wouldn't be fair to tell you anything I didn't tell the other contestants. Now, this is all a secret, so tell anyone and we'll have to come after you! Good luck Musubi and Minato-kun!"

With that he hung up, the line going dead in my hand.

Shit… The Holy Grail War… the horror of that ritual was being picked up here in Shin Tokyo.

"Minato," I started, my tone dead serious, "We need to talk about some things."

*End Chapter*

Thank you for reading,

Drake Valkyr


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I make no claim to that which is not mine

I hope you enjoy the next installment

*Story Start*

It wasn't until late that night that I found myself leaving Minato's apartment. There was a lot to do and not a whole lot to do it in. 108 Sekirei were lose in this city and if each one found an Ashikabi before being eliminated, then that would be 107 unknown opponents for Minato and I to deal with. That was assuming that Ashikabi's didn't form their own alliances or Sekirei betrayed their first Ashikabi to join another.

For one of the few times in my life I was grateful for the Grail War; it gave me the experience needed to fight another one.

Unfortunately, Musubi was not the stoic and ready companion that my Saber had been. Saber had helped me survive the War, taught me how to fight and survive against things vastly more powerful than myself. She mentored me, a failure as a Magus and suicidal by all definitions of the word in my dedication to my ideal that innocents shouldn't be harmed. How many times did I almost die in those few days? How many times should I have died?

Back then our enemies were brutal and efficient. They hunted without rest and struck without remorse. Now this same brutality was going to be inflicted on the unaware Shin Tokyo, on my family. The hell I'll let them, I grit my teeth, I'll die long before I let that particular atrocity repeats itself.

Which brought me to my next point: Saber was more than just my Servant. She was my partner. Instead of a noble warrior and guide like my Saber, Minato ended up with Musubi.

That wasn't to imply that I thought Musubi wasn't a nice Sekirei. She was bubbly and energetic and straight forward to a fault. It was strangely endearing. At least I didn't have to worry about my brother's partner killing him for personal gain. Rather, it seemed as if she genuinely liked him and she would protect him with her life. No, my only problem with Musubi was that she…

Well, she was a bit of an airhead.

Since this wasn't my first time in a situation like this, there were certain key points of information that we needed to know: How many enemies were there? How long had the Sekirei Plan been active? What type of abilities could Sekirei bring to the fight? What were the conditions for victory? Was it the death of the Sekirei? The maybe it was death of the contractor? Or was surrendering an option? How many Sekirei could an Ashikabi have? Where alliances allowed? Could Sekirei act independently in the Plan? Were conflicts to be held secretly or was open warfare acceptable? How could one tell an Ashikabi or Sekirei from a normal citizen?

Musubi was unable to tell us most of these questions. The first question had been answered by Minaka. When Musubi was told by MBI that she would have to 'fight and fight and fight and fight' she forgot everything else. It appeared Musubi was a diehard battle junky, even talking about fighting made her fidgety and her eyes lit up. If I didn't understand how she felt it would be more than a little unnerving.

This might have been the reason why Minato was giving us those weird looks.

And that brought us to the next sunny point. I had wondered how MBI had a being like Karasuba in their employ. It seemed the reason was that they were tied to the entire Type Sekirei population. MBI had sheltered the Sekirei, teaching them, providing for them and now was proctoring this Sekirei Plan.

Of course, this brought up even more questions. Musubi had mentioned something about living in the MBI labs her entire life. It was only recently that she was released to find her Ashikabi. So if MBI was nurturing these beings, why then have them fight one another?

The recent and rapid medical advancements MBI had been solidly producing for the past few years could be explained by trading the Sekirei for advanced technology. But that wouldn't explain the Sekirei's implied subservience to MBI. It could be that it was in return for sheltering the species, but why raise and release them only to pit them against each other in a series of death matches? What did MBI gain from the Sekirei (and their partners) dying?

So far this didn't make any sense.

The one interesting thing Musubi was able to tell us was that she was a 'Power Type' Sekirei. She did dress like a close combat fighter, but this classification meant more than just that. Her ability as a Power Type meant that she was stronger and faster than a normal person. Way faster, when I asked her to throw a punch I couldn't even follow the movement. Well, I couldn't follow it without Reinforcement.

That meant there were at least two types of Sekirei out there. The first were these Power Types, equipped with overall higher parameters than their counterparts. The second were Elemental Types, as I'd taken to referring to them as. The twin Sekirei that were chasing Musubi were of this variety judging from the way they shot lighting from their hands. In exchange for lower parameters they had control of an element. It seemed to me like this was a fight between knight classes and caster classes.

The plan so far was simple, seeing as we still had next to no information about the fight we found ourselves involved in. I would act much like the Lancer, Cu Chulainn, from my war. I would go around observing Sekirei battles and gathering what information I could about the other participants. It would also give me the ability to eliminate those targets that exposed themselves. From there, Minato and I could form a plan to deal with these Ashikabi/Sekirei teams.

In the meantime, Musubi would protect Minato and they would live as normally as they could. When entering a battle like that of the Grail War, it was important to have small periods of ordinary life. Otherwise, fear and anticipation would build up, compromising your thoughts and actions. No, fear was the enemy.

Of course, before we could go into more depth about the developing Sekirei Plan, we'd need more information. And I had just the source to get it from. Now all that was left was to find her and see what I could bribe her with to tell me what I wanted to know. I was pretty sure I knew where she was too; after all, a bird will hang around where she knows food will be plentiful and easy to obtain. The only question was how best to tempt her into complying.

That was the reason why I was taking a shortcut through Shin Tokyo's larger parks.

The rise of MBI in Shin Tokyo transformed the once small city into a bustling metropolis. Along with the influx of new jobs and living space, the population of Shin Tokyo exploded. With all of these people came the demand for more public works and spaces. The result of this was the Shin Tokyo Garden Project, a civil plan to scatter walking parks of various sizes throughout the city. These would provide places to sit and relax and allow the busy salary workers to escape the hustle of city living for a while. There were also skate parks and swing sets for the youth and some parks even had artificial ponds for swimming.

I huffed, drawing my coat around me a bit tighter. It had been a cold morning and though it had warmed up over the afternoon the fall of the sun had heralded a drop in the temperature.

This was one of the little known gems of these parks; not only did they cut down on commute times between certain areas but the trees acted as a screen against the wind. City streets could suddenly turn into wind tunnels, amplifying their strength and bite.

I had only taken a few steps into the park when I was hit by a now familiar scent; the scent of honey and something else. I was too far to determine what the second scent, the key to this one's power, was. This was the fifth one of these beings today that I'd come across. Sixth if you counted my morning with Karasuba.

Dammit. I had wanted to get some answers from Karasuba before I encountered another Type Sekirei, but the smell of honey led directly across the path I was taking to Takami's. So, did I stick with the original plan and take a detour? I'd get to the apartment late and I didn't even know if Karasuba would be there. Really I was counting on the fact that she'd been hanging around as a sign that I'd see her relatively soon so I could pin her down and get some answers from her. She had been coming around most everyday lately, usually in the mornings or late at night, so it wasn't too unreasonable an assumption that she'd be around, but it was still an assumption.

My other option was to go Lancer, to observe this unknown Sekirei. If I could identify it, figure out its abilities and maybe even identify its Ashikabi then that would be one step closer to Minato surviving. If I concealed my features, maybe with a facemask or something corny like that, then I could hold the ruse that I was an enemy Sekirei for long enough to see how these Sekirei fought.

There was a third option here, now that I thought about it. If this was an un-bonded Sekirei, un-winged I believe Musubi said, this would be a perfect opportunity to take it out before it found a contractor. If it was winged, then I'd simply kill the Ashikabi. The park was dark this time of night. The lights lining the walk paths didn't cover all the way into some of the more forested areas of the park. Between those and the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings there were multiple hiding places with good coverage of the park. If I shimmied one of these trees I could travel the length of the park unseen.

A traced bow and sword later and the deed would be done. The Emiya option.

But… was that the right thing to do? Would killing this alien save people? Or would it just be another of the countless lives I'd ended on this quest? I just didn't know.

I kept walking. This would take me toward the source, but I didn't have to engage it. I didn't have to do anything at all yet. No, by doing nothing right now I could see both this new Sekirei, any possible Ashikabi that may be there, and keep right on walking home.

Yes, the plan I was to do absolutely nothing right now. Just see what there is to see and make it home alive to help Minato. I could always dress up and go hunting aliens some other night.

The second odor continued to grow in strength as I approached. I couldn't help but breathe deep. The smell was crisp and strangely refreshing. It was almost like wintergreen, the way the air tasted after fresh snowfall and the strange pseudo-scent of freezing wind as it blew across your face. I wasn't sure, but I think this one is another elementalist as the only thing these smells brought to mind was ice and snow.

As I walked further into the park I began to notice something was wrong. The park wasn't quite deserted despite the late hour. There were the expected groups of teenagers, couples of varying ages, the odd white collar worker relaxing after a day of hard work, and a smattering of smokers and other late night travelers like myself.

Unlike most nights, however, the other occupants of the park were actively avoiding one area of the park.

The odd thing was that they were all taking noticeable effort to avoid a certain area of the park, sending it furtive glances as they arced around it. I think I found my goal and moved towards that area.

When I got there I froze.

And all my plans were suddenly thrown out the window.

I found myself all but alone standing in front of a small section of railing that a woman was slumped against. She was curled up, her legs folded loosely in front of her and her arms wrapped around her thighs. Her hair was a light shade of brown, almost pale in fact, framing her face in thin strands that almost reached her neck. She was wearing dead expression on her face, distantly staring at the ground in front of her and watching people move around her in unseen; like the world around her and everything that happened around her or to her was simply irrelevant.

I'd seen that kind of stare before…

She wasn't wearing any socks or shoes. She had no pants or skirt on either. Her long pale legs crossed before her were completely bare down to her equally bare feet. The only thing I could tell she was wearing was a half buttoned man's shirt, open in the front down to below her chest, barely containing her and revealing the equally pale and unadorned curves of the inside of her breasts, the hem failing just low enough to preserve her modesty. A large white coat, similar if not exactly a lab coat, was draped over her shoulders.

There were also dark stains covering one side of her coat. My eyes narrowed in recognition; despite the lack of light I could tell those stains were caused by blood. This was factored only slightly into what I was about to do before being disregarded entirely as I made my way to stand in front of her.

She looked like someone who had just had a fight with their boyfriend and had to run out of the house before they were hurt, or someone that had been dragged into a dark alley and been drugged and then taken advantage of.

She looked like she was someone who needed help and the crowd around us was just ignoring her. It didn't matter if she was responsible for the blood covering her. It didn't matter that she wasn't human. It didn't even matter that she was probably an enemy I would have to kill. Right now she was just someone that needed help.

If I was anything other than a sword, it was one who helps those in need.

"Excuse me, miss?" I softly called to her. She ignored me. "Miss, are you alright?" I kneeled down, looking up into her face to try and make eye contact. In the middle of her forehead was a weird tattoo: a bird in flight over a yin yang symbol with two tama on either side of it.

In the poor lighting I couldn't tell anything about her eyes other than they didn't meet mine, instead she continued to stare into space. The fabric of her half-buttoned shirt was intact and lacking any of the bloodstains that covered the side of her coat.

"Miss, would you like me to call…" I trailed off. If she were human there would be no problem if I called an ambulance or the police. But she wasn't human and it was possible that a medical examination could reveal this fact. Would they report her to the government or another organization for experimentation or dissection? Besides the obvious problem of unintentionally revealing the existence of magical space aliens, who knew if her species was analogous to humans for medical treatments. And police involvement would trace her back to whatever cased her problem. From my encounters with Type Sekirei thus far that would mean a 100% chance of magecraft being involved. I would then be forced to kill the officers and/or inform the Association. It would defeat the purpose if my attempt to help her ended up killing her instead. I almost smacked my forehead; weren't these Type Sekirei coming from MBI, if anyone could help her they would be able to. "… Would you like me to call MBI?"

If anyone had the means to help this woman it was MBI. Minaka had revealed that he and his company were the ones responsible for Shin Tokyo's resident alien population, and that meant they were the ones to call. Takami was the only person at MBI I could call and she definitely had something to do with the Sekirei, but was she in the position to do anything? If not, then she could probably get me someone who could.

"I can't…" She started, trailing off just as abruptly. She spoke so softly I almost didn't even hear her, her tone dead and empty. She didn't even look at me when she spoke, staring past me as if she were alone in the world. Just as I thought that was all she was going to say she continued. "I have nowhere to go..."

"Nowhere to go…?" My jaw clenched. That didn't sound good. That didn't sound good at all. Alien or not, I couldn't leave someone on the street, especially if she had nothing on other than a half buttoned shirt. I didn't know what had happened to her, but it wasn't good. "Miss, what happened to you?"

The mostly naked woman finally turned to meet my eyes. "I was thrown away…because I am broken," She said with such certainty and hopelessness. To her this was a statement, a fact about her existence as a person. I grit my teeth at hearing her speak like that. Her entire demeanor was striking too close to home to me. First Karasuba had reminded me of the Holy Grail War, dragging up images of Rider, and now I was reminded of another. Although, this woman's hair wasn't long or purple she struck the same cord of despair and resigned acceptance over her fate. "…I am a failure… A Scraped Sekirei."

For a moment I heard another voice overlap the end of her sentence, a whispered _sempai_. I still didn't know what was going on with her. This could be nothing more than a domestic dispute, or the aftermath of confrontation with another of her Type, or even an accident. Whatever the case was I suddenly found myself not caring. My decision on the matter had been made the moment she opened her mouth.

"Get up," I told her firmly, rising from my half crouch to stand before her and offer my hand. She blinked, her eyes darting to my hand and then back to my eyes as she stared perplexedly. "I'm not sure what happened to you, but there is no way in hell that I'm going to leave you out here on your own. If you have nowhere else to go, then please come with me. After some food, a hot bath and a change of clothes we can see about fixing your situation."

Her head cocked to the side as she considered my hand and then unfolded her arms from about her legs to grab it. As I helped her to her feet, the motion caused her shirt to shift upwards, revealing more of her legs than it had when she was sitting down. I flushed as it turned out that no; she was not wearing anything other than that shirt and coat. I turned my head at the inadvertent peek. I definitely did not notice how smooth her long pale legs were. Nor did I notice how her shirt momentarily slacked loose as she rose, leaving a clear view.

"Hmm, well luckily it isn't far to Takami's," I muse as I started to button up her coat. At least that would give the impression of wearing something under it… well, it wasn't like we had to take a train or taxi anywhere, it would be enough for a block or so. "Here, put your arms through the sleeves." She wordlessly complied, shifting to put her arms through the sleeves properly.

"Come with me then," I offered her my hand once more. "I promise, nothing more will happen to you. I'll take care of you."

"Take care of me…" She repeated in a whisper. A trace of … something entered her eyes, the first sense of anything other than detachment.

Her hand found mine.

*Scene Break*

If you ignored the strange and suspicious looks we were getting as we made our way through the main lobby and up to Takami's floor, then it was an uneventful trip. My companion had not broken her silence since we left the park, locking her gaze onto the back of my head and completely disregarding everything else. It did make dodging foot traffic difficult until I learned how she unerringly followed where I walked as used that to avoid collisions.

"You can go sit by the kotatsu to warm up," I said opening the door to the apartment. "Once we get you warm and fed I'll see if Takami has any clothes that'll fit you and you can…take…a…"

I trailed off as I stepped through the door. All the lights were off. While this would normally not be a strange occurrence, as it was just economical to leave the lights off when no one was home, the room smelt of honey and blood. The odor was too strong to be just a residue from Karasuba being here earlier, so she must still be inside. In the dark. Alone.

I had a bad feeling about this.

"Ichirou Sahashi." Her words held an edge, the verbal equivalent of drawing a blade. Actually, they were accompanied by a drawn blade as a single sliver of silver light shown in the otherwise dark room. "Who is that woman? Was Musubi not enough and you had to pick up another on your way home?" Karasuba flicked on a light, just enough to illuminate her, as she stalked forward blade drawn.

Oh. So this was how I died.

I had always assumed it would be on some nameless hill. That I would be killed by the very people I tried so desperately to save, blamed for the very tragedy I fought so hard to prevent. After all, that was how Archer died, and not that I cared to admit it but we were similar in many regards. I had no trouble believing that, because of that, we would also share the same deathbed.

That I was to instead die in my mother's apartment, while on vacation from the admittedly suicidal lifestyle I lived, by my breakfast guest slash monster was not something I had ever considered. Well, not for a few years. Oh, Rin was going to be so pissed. She'd probably find a way to recreate the Third Magic just so she could kill me for dying.

If Rin would be so pissed at how I managed to die on vacation then she'd laugh at my bad luck.

Alright Shirou, you can get out of this. Be suave, talk her down. Maybe you can live to see tomorrow.

"Um…why were you in the dark?"

Oh, I was so going to die.

"Wrong answer," She growled, her gray eyes pinpricks as she took another step.

And it was suddenly very cold. The quiet brown haired woman dashed in front of me, her back straightened and arms hanging loosely down her sides. She also jutted her chest up, inadvertently popping the top button on her blood-stained white lab coat. Small icicles formed in the air around her, growing rabidly in size and number. Shit. Karasuba pressed her weight onto her front foot, holding the blade at eye level and perpendicular to the floor. The doorway was too narrow for her to swing the nodachi. She must be planning to run me –us, I'm no longer in front – through instead.

SHIT. Shitshishit.

"Both." I reached forward and grabbed the back of the ice user's collar, pulling her sharply back behind me. She let out a startled, and somewhat delayed, 'ah' as her loss of balance disrupted her concentration. The forming icicles dispersed back into the air. One down. "Of you." Now I was in back between her and Karasuba. No need to Trace. I drew the small combat knife I kept in my belt loop. Prior experience has taught me that keeping non-Traced blades on my person could and would save me from horrific pain and death. This was one of those times. My circuits flooded with prana, fueling the Alteration of the blade to make it heavier even as I let it. She deflected it by snapping her blade up, but the point wasn't to hit her. The point was to move her sword out of position and to stop her advance, which it did. "Stop it!"

The last two words echoed like a gunshot. I didn't really expect it to work. I expected that by throwing myself between the two I'd be gutted by Karasuba. Not that I didn't have a response to that, I'd had my insides blown out before. Instead the two women flinched as if struck, freezing in place.

When after a second neither woman resumed their attempt to kill each other, or in Karasuba's case killed me, I let out a long breath.

"You," I pointed to Karasuba, "don't violate my hospitality by killing me. If you do, not only will I not cook for you but I'll have to try and kill you right back." I was pretty sure it was the former part of the threat and not the latter that caused the gray haired demon to sheath her blade. "And you," I direct to the other woman, "I'm inviting you into my home. My hospitality is a sign of trust and goodwill. Do not betray that."

Karasuba huffed and sheathed her sword while the other one paused and nodded.

"Good. Now then, why don't you go warm up the kotatsu for us Karasuba and I'll get us all diner. I assume you haven't eaten yet?"

Karasuba nodded to the question before snorting, "Why isn't Musubi with you?"

"Musubi? Why would she be with me? She's with Minato, her…" I searched for the word. Damn, I was just thinking about it earlier, what the hell. "Ashi-something or other."

That seemed to garner her attention. "Minato? You mean you aren't her Ashikabi?" That's the word! In the heat of almost dying I had blanked: you'd think that whoever created these suicidal and more often brutally homicidal war rituals would come up with titles that were easier to remember. Wait, was Karasuba's increased aggression because she thought I was Musubi's Ashikabi?

"Whatever gave you that impression? Come to think of it, how do you know Musubi?" That was more than a little interesting. I had thought I sensed Karasuba nearby when the wanna-be shrine girl fell on Minato, but I wasn't sure.

"I keep tabs." She said simply and went to comply with my earlier request about the kotatsu. "We heard Musubi was winged to a Sahashi and I thought it was you. Not everyone has good taste. Oh, and I want double portions for sparing you. Chop, chop." She waved jauntily over her shoulder as if shooing me to the kitchen.

Good tastes she says. I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult. I'm not even sure which would surprise me. "What a terrifying master I have. Right away, your Highness." I deadpanned. It seemed that it was the purpose of Shirou Emiya's life to serve smaller, obscenely dangerous and exacting women. I turned back to the other Sekirei and startled, biting back a yelp. While my back was turned she had sidled up to me. There was definitely distance between us, maybe a hand or so worth, but she was close. Really close.

"She is dangerous." She whispered, catching my eyes with intensity formerly nonexistent.

I couldn't disagree. "Yes, she is. Is that why you tried to protect me?" She flushed slightly and I smiled. She was starting to show some emotion. That was good start to helping her avoid _Her_ fate. "Thank you. We should be safe now though. Go sit and I'll be in with food."

She nodded after a second and left to join Karasuba. I waited only until they both sat down without further bloodshed before retreating into the kitchen.

*Scene Break*

Setting the table was more unnerving than I thought it would be with the eyes of two women following every move I made. Karasuba's half-lidded eyes looked on with amusement as I served her double portions of everything-in-the-apartment stir fry and fresh tea. Past experiences have taught me that when magical women capable of killing you with their pinkies and a propensity towards swords are hungry, you cook _all _the food. At least she didn't tease me for my domestication, acting all the while as a pleased queen. Well, didn't tease me too much. The other woman looked on with an inscrutable expression but never taking her gaze off me. Actually, I think it her stare got more intense the closer I got to Karasuba.

Well, she did try to protect me, I think. Maybe she was actin gin her own defense? Being a blood-soaked demon from outer space did make Karasuba a threat to, well, everyone. I don't think I was done processing what happened when we came in yet.

I had finally sat down and served myself when a certain crow stole my plate, dragging it over to rest next to hers.

"What are you doing?" My eye twitched.

"Double servings." That conniving witch.

"I already gave you double."

"And see how I'm not killing you?" She smiled cheekily, her eyes crinkling into slits. I sighed and leaned back. That's true, I most certainly wasn't dead. And all it cost me was a cheap knife and my dinner.

Watching the two of them eat was very reminiscent of being home. Home in Fuyuki, that is, back during the slow portions of the Grail war. Karasuba ate with the same poise and dignity as Saber, slowly, deliberately and inevitable eradicating all traces of food on her plate before moving towards seconds. The brown haired woman examined each mouthful tentatively before consuming it with the patient grace of Sakura. If Takami, who woke much the way Rin does, and Yukari, the living memory of my sisters, were here it would almost be like I'd never left Fuyuki. Add in Minato as a younger, more innocent me and the picture was complete.

The thought that I'd make the Archer of that little picture was unpleasant as it was sudden. I shook my head to banish it. I wasn't him. I wouldn't be him.

"What are you doing with the Scrapped Number anyway?" Karasuba asked. Scrapped number? I looked over to the woman I brought home. She was looking down at her plate, once more her expression held resigned anguish and despondence. She had something about being scrapped before, didn't she?

_I'm broken_. The words she said back then resonated painfully with those of another.

"What do you mean by 'Scrapped Number'?" I must be something to do with their Type, but there was so much I still didn't know, both about them and this Sekirei Plan. Karasuba was also presenting a more hostile front than usual making me doubt I'd get anything useful from her.

"It means she should be put down with the rest of the trash." Karasuba's bloodthirsty grin returned. The air turned frigid and not just metaphorically as the two women glared at each other.

"Enough!" I barked. Once more I was surprised as they both turned to me, the room returning to a more normal temperature. "She's been through enough tonight Karasuba, stop provoking her." Once they settled down a bit I continued on. "Are you still hungry, miss…?" I realized I never got her name.

"Akitsu," She said, nodding. Her voice was still little above a whisper, but she was talking and showing some emotion, even if it was just barely. I considered that an improvement.

"Akitsu," I smiled and filled her plate back up. "When you're full you can use take a shower. I'll go see if Takami has any clothes that will fit you. In the morning we can talk about what you want to do and where you can go."

"Thank you…" Akitsu flushed slightly.

"What about me Ichi-" I threw one of my chopsticks at her. I needed to save the other one as it was my last weapon. Well, to the extent that I could have a last weapon.

"You," I glared, "mooch here so often it's impossible to get rid of you. And finish your first plate before asking for seconds."

"But look, it's empty." She smiles as she lifts her plate. It was true that it was empty, but the one she stole from me was yet untouched. I merely raised an eyebrow. She chuckled, and began eating from the pilfered dish. "You know, Sahashi-kun, I might actually be sad when I kill you."

"I'm sure." I deadpan. "I'll be sad when you kill me too." But only if I failed to take you with me, I didn't say. "Actually, Karasuba, I'm glad you're here."

"Huh?" Her eyes snapped open. This time it was her studying me with an inscrutable expression. No, Akitsu mirrored her a second after. Being on the receiving end of those two stares was more than a little unnerving, truth be told.

"Yes," I said, pressing on, "I had some questions to ask you about this Sekirei Plan."

Karasuba snorted. "You want to find yourself a little bird and join the fun, huh? Typical human."

"Not at all, actually, it's quite the opposite. Joining the plan would put me in direct opposition with Minato. What I want is information about the plan." My smile is cold. "Once I know the playing field I can eliminate all his of his enemies."

"Eliminate?" Apparently this wasn't what Karasuba was expecting, blinking in confusion before grinning. "My, you are a sweet talker aren't you? I suppose I could tell you what I know."

"Thank you. First off, is there a way to identify if a person has bonded to a Sekirei? Any distinguishing marks?"

"Marks? See the crest on the Scrapped Number's forehead?" I looked at Akitsu. The odd symbol of a bird in flight over a yin yang flanked by tama was etched on her forehead. I had thought it was a tattoo, but if that meant she was what marked a Sekirei as being winged… "When a Sekirei is winged, that symbol appears on the back."

"Then why do you have your crest on your forehead, Akitsu?"

"I'm broken" Akitsu responded, slipping back into the same despondent manner as when I found her. Ah, shit. I'm an asshole, aren't I? "I can never have an Ashikabi of my own." So she couldn't join the plan since you needed a human contractor? But then why did she refer to herself as broken? I'd have to ask when Akitsu wasn't around. No sense in upsetting her any further.

"In fights between Sekirei, how is the victor determined?" This was the key question. Did the Sekirei have to be defeated, or could I target the Master.

"Hmm, usually I just kill them." What a callous way of talking about your same species, but I expected nothing less from the ashen haired alien. Then again, I could probably say the same about my human enemies. So did that makes us both monsters? Probably. "If the Ashikabi dies, and killing humans is really easy, then the Sekirei will shut down."

Perfect. "So targeting the Ashikabi is a valid strategy in the Plan? Good, that's more like what I'm familiar with."

"Oh," Karasuba lookd slightly intrigued at that. "Well, killing the human is supposed to be against the rules, but it's just so satisfying." I didn't like the way she eyed me when she said that. Not one bit. "Most Sekirei will probably refrain from attacking the Ashikabi though. They don't have the same liberties that I do."

"I see." I'm not sure I did. Maybe her 'liberties' had something to do with how she was working with MBI and wasn't with her Ashikabi. Actually, that is a good question: did Karasuba have an Ashikabi? If so, then it would be a lot easier to kill him than to deal with her…ever.

But first things first, "Are you finished eating, Akitsu?" She had been waiting patiently, just looking at me again, so I figure she wants to know where the bathroom is. Well, I hoped she was done eating. I wasn't kidding earlier when I said I cooked _all_ the food in the apartment. I'd need to go grocery shopping before breakfast. "Would you like a shower now?" At her nod I pointed to the hallway behind me. "Alright, the bathroom is down here, first door on your right. I'll get you some clothes to wear for the night." As she got up to go I turned back to Karasuba. "Speaking of Ashikabi, do you have…"

The rustle of clothing caught my attention, causing me to drop my question as I turned… and saw Akitsu in the midst of undressing. She had already shrugged her coat to the floor and was halfway through unbuttoning her shirt, lifting it up slight to reach the lower buttons and revealing once more her lack of underwear.

I pinched my nose, averting my eyes from the sight. "A-Akitsu, what are you doing?" I'd like to claim I didn't stutter and that I spoke in a manly fashion, but I'd be lying. I tried not to think about how her pale skin shown from the overhead light or the shape of her thighs as they rose to meet the soft curve of her – Gah!

"Ah…" She looked at me, cocking her head to the side, "Getting ready to bathe."

"And you aren't changing in the bathroom because?"

"I forgot."

"Next time please change in the bathroom." I got up to go get her some clothes. I wasn't ashamed of retreating in the face of superior firepower. This woman was Dangerous, just maybe not in the same way Karasuba was.

*Scene Break*

With the exception of a small repeat performance by Akitsu as she exited the shower, settling down for the night was a quiet affair. I had given my room to Akitsu, taking the time to set up the bedding while she was in the shower. I'd be sleeping in the living room for the night. I had already laid out the spare bed mats and put away the kotatsu.

Takami's clothes fit Akitsu well enough that they would suffice for the night. Tomorrow we might have to find her some more fitting clothes, however, as Takami's wouldn't quite be appropriate for daily wear.

I moved into Takami's room to change into my own sleepwear. Yukari was coming for a visit tomorrow. She had just gotten into Shin Tokyo University and was coming up to be with the family. I don't think she told Minato yet, but I was going to take her out to celebrate. Maybe I could get her to take Akitsu shopping for clothes when she came. I'd have to frame the story right so she didn't ask too many questions about the alien woman. Maybe if I told her she had a bad fight with her boyfriend? Honestly, I still didn't know her story.

Carefully folding my shirt, I set it aside. Really, did I even have to know her story? Akitsu was someone who needed help. If how I found were any indication of her situation then she was obviously in trouble. Even if it weren't for how painfully her words resonated in me I wouldn't have been able to ignore her. She was someone who needed saving.

I slipped my arms through the sleeves of the button down shirt I'd taken to wearing at night. Usually I didn't wear a shirt to bed, but now that I was living with Takami I'd made a habit of wearing one to cover up. Not that I was shy or embarrassed, not really. It would just be more than a little difficult to explain the scars that crisscrossed my body. Legacy of a misspent youth indeed.

"Sahashi-kun," Karasuba entered the room with her usual grace: by entirely ignoring closed doors or social niceties such as asking or knocking.

"Karasuba?!" I start, turning my back to her, slipping the shirt on the rest of the way and fumbling with the buttons. Shit, she saw. Now either she'd tell Takami or ask for an explanation I really wasn't ready to give. Okay, so maybe I was a little embarrassed. I wasn't a vain person, but even I recognized that scars weren't really an attractive feature. Especially claw and bit marks, puncture wounds and the legacies of the Grail War. "Don't you ever-"

"Stop." For some reason I froze. "Let me see."

There was something…off about how she said that. It lacked the usual confident yet disdainful humor that colored her speech. It was more… for the first time she was asking, not demanding. I don't know why, but I found myself turning to face her. She walked towards me, her eyes moving from scar to scar. While it was true that Avalon, the golden sheath and conceptual weapon imbedded within me gave me increased healing, wounds inflicted by powerful enough sources would still leave traces.

"It goes all the way through," I heard her mutter as she came to stand right before me, raising a hand to trace the red starburst over my heart. Despite myself the light touch caused me to shiver.

"Karasuba?" I asked quietly. This was really out of character for the crow: Her half-lidded eyes were glazed and her mouth was slightly parted. Her cheeks were lightly flushed as if feverish, her breath coming in slightly erratically. "Karasuba, are you alright?"

No response.

She took another step, almost completely closing the distance between us. This was wrong. This was very wrong. I didn't know why it was so wrong, but it was.

"Karasuba?!" This time she blinked, shaking herself as if coming out of a trance, before abruptly spinning on her heel. I flinched as her ponytail whipped across my face. "Karasuba?"

"I just wanted to say that I don't know much about the Scrapped Number," She didn't look at me, her posture tense. "It didn't concern me since I wasn't one. If you want to know more ask Takami."

And with that she walked out of the room. Out of the apartment.

"What… the hell was that?" I asked the empty room.

This entire night had been strange. I gave an aggravated sigh and continued to get ready for bed. Fuck it, this day was too weird and I didn't want to deal with it anymore.

My last thought before falling asleep was that this was probably somehow Archer's fault too.

*End Chapter*

Honestly, I think I hate this chapter, but it was necessary to get to Akitsu before she met with Mikogami. I had initially planned a confrontation between Shirou and the South in this chapter, but it after writing it three times it still didn't read right so I scrapped it.

Many will probably complain that this follows In Flight a little too closely so far and, well, that's true. This is the introductory arc and there wasn't much I saw would really change between Cannon and In Flight at this point – we haven't even gotten to the first fight yet. That said the diverging point is imminent, so please be patient.

Thank you for reading,

Drake Valkyr


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I make no claim to that which is not mine

I apologize for the extremely long wait. There shouldn't be nearly so long a wait between chapters as this one has taken as I highly doubt I'll be going through what I just went through again anytime soon. I hope…

Anyway, I hope this chapter is to everyone's enjoyment.

Fourth Break: The Morning After

*Story Start*

I didn't think of words like searing or burning. I was no stranger to the smell of roasting and splitting flesh. Nor was I a stranger to the sight of curling, smoking black flesh as it peeled off the too white bone from the heat. Instead I marched forward, heedless of pain or exhaustion.

'I want to live.'

I marched past homes, engulfed in flames. Some collapsing in on themselves as the fires consumed them entirely. Others remained standing as burning idols, monuments to the power and horror of the conflagration. Buildings wavered in and out of vision, the heat blurring and revealing them at capricious whim, distorting the once pleasant suburb into a nightmarish view into hell.

'Somebody save me.'

The soft crackle of the flames was impossibly loud. It covered the booming thumps of houses as they buckled and crashed around their occupants. It covered the sounds of screams I couldn't hear but knew what they said as once beautiful homes were turned into funeral pyres for their still living families.

'Help me.'

And yet I marched on. Voices. My body alight and agonizing as the charred flesh flaked from silvery metal. So many voices. Impossibly, I trudged on. Too many voices! They hooked me, their serrated barbs sinking into flesh and steel and fire as they all cried for salvation.

'Save me. Save us.'

But there was no such thing as salvation, not here under the eye of the angry god spewing hate and fire and death. Their cries turned to spiteful damnation. Why should they die while others lived? They turned on me, reeling back the chains where they once tried to pull themselves to safety, they now tried to pull me into death. Why are they dying while I still live? Why can't I save them? But there was no room for thought here, lest I wanted to die too. There was only more marching interminably into and through death.

In a word I was… unsurprised. I'd been bombarded with memories of Fuyuki and the Grail War since I'd first stepped foot in Shin Tokyo a few weeks ago. Usually I dreamt of swords. Sometimes I dreamt of Archer and our life – his life. Occasionally I dreamt of Saber framed in the light of a new day or Rin's lectures on the enormity of my failures as a magus. Rarely, I dreamt of my last visit home, the cloying feeling of blood on my hands and the pangs of sorrow and regret.

Tonight I dreamt of my birth; the fires of the fourth Grail War and the forging of Shirou Emiya.

Drip-hiss.

A single raindrop petered out against my burning skin. I looked up into the bleeding sky. At first, I thought it was more muck, the spewing curses of Angra Mainyu falling from the [false] black sun that dominated the sky. But no, it wasn't. I had been drenched in that muck before and all it had brought was **** and ***** and ******.

I took a shuddering breath. Even in my dreams I was affected by the memories of the curse, but I felt none of that as another drop hit my skin. And another. And another.

Rain?

There had never been rain in my dreams of Fuyuki before. There had never been rain in ********* ***** ***** before either. Curiously, I raised a cupped hand to catch the rain. Plink. Plink. Plink. No, not rain. The red drops shone vibrantly against the metal imbedded in my ruined arm. This was blood.

I looked up, expecting to see the black hole that represented Angra Mainyu as it belched the vileness of all mankind into the world. This time I was surprised as there was no false sun in the sky. Instead there were corpses. A floating ball, an island, of corpses dominated the sky; their bodies intertwined with one another in a macabre embrace, blood running down and between their limbs as they reached downwards. The blood dripped from their outstretched fingers as they groped towards the ground as they reached down to me standing below them.

The smell of fire and smoke and death was replaced by the smell of blood and bodies and rot. This wasn't Fuyuki anymore, wasn't the caldera that forged –

"EMIYA."

I whirled. Standing behind me was none other than Karasuba. The two of us stood under the falling rain of blood, red specs coloring her ashen hair and white cape. Lone drops ran down her forehead, along those high cheekbones and down her neck to disappear under her black tunic. Below us was an endless field, an ocean, of spilled blood. From deep within its depths rose arching, blood and rust encrusted chains that bore deep into the island above us. For a moment, the two of us stood there, over the ocean of blood we have spilt and under the vengeful eyes of the corpses of the fallen; of the people we killed. For some reason this was fitting, though I didn't understand why. Fuck dream logic.

"Shirou Emiya." She spoke again, taking a step towards me. Her wet hair hung over her eyes, shadowing her face. She took another step, her feet sending ripples across the surface of the otherwise pristinely calm ocean we stood on. "You're just like _them,_ aren't you?" She hissed, clenching her fists. Them? These bodies? No. No, those words had meaning that these fallen corpses lacked. _Them_. "Selfish. I didn't want this." She came to rest in front of me, her brow hovering just under my chin. "_They_ hate me. After everything I did for them. And then _they_ left me, just like you will. I should kill you." She raised a hand, drawing it up my chest and resting her palm over my heart. Her other hand grasped the back of my neck. "Kill you… I'll kill you first. To keep this moment, to keep you, mine." Wings erupted from her back, black and beautiful, like those of an angel. Or rather, in her case it was more like a demon. She raised her head to me and whispered. "Forever and ever."

Her fangs sunk in and she tore out my throat.

*Scene change*

"Ugh," I groaned, pulling the nice warm thing next to me closer. It was still a bit before I had to get up and make breakfast, I could be forgiven for trying to reclaim some vestige of sleep after that dream. Besides, the blankets were really warm and inviting. Surrendering to the siren call of more rest I pulled the bedding closer. The blankets let out a content murmur, snuggling into my side and I went to wrap my other arm around them when I met with resistance. Wait… since when did blankets talk?

But first, I turned my head to the right to find what was pinning my arm and just about jumped out of my skin as I met a pair of smoky carbon eyes staring back at me.

"Good morning, Sahashi-sama." Akitsu greeted me. At some point in the night her borrowed pajama top got unbuttoned down to her navel. She also had my hand clasp between hers and entrenched firmly in her soft, warm bosom. What… the hell was she doing out here and not in her bed?

"Ah…" I muttered. I must still be dreaming. "Akitsu? What are you doing?"

"You were restless." Ah? What?

"What?" I blurt out oh so eloquently. Okay, maybe I wasn't dreaming. If I were, I'd be a lot more articulate. That still didn't explain why she was sleeping next to me. Or why she had apparently moved her blankets out here to do so.

"You were restless in your sleep"

"So you came to look after me?" I asked. She nodded, a hint of red coloring her face. Despite the oddness of both the woman and the situation, I was touched at her thoughtfulness. "Thank you Akitsu, that was very thoughtful. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

"Ah… I didn't want anything to happen to you." Didn't want anything to happen to me? Just what did she think would happen to me in my sleep? It was true that on the occasion that I dreamt of the fire I tossed and turned, but a little memory was hardly worth worrying over. Wait… I was forgetting something. When I woke up there was something on my left side, the opposite side that Akitsu was taking up, wasn't there?

As if sensing my thoughts it squirmed.

By the Root and Heaven's Feel what the hell was that?

"Akitsu..." I started. What comfortable warmth I had felt earlier had turned to ice cold dread. "Why does there feel like there is someone on my other side?"

Akitsu's eyes drifted over to whoever or whatever was next to me. "I was here to protect you." That did not fill me with the abundance of confidence she might have desired. With more than a little trepidation I followed the line of Akitsu's gaze.

Beautiful.

The thought cut through (but did not abate) the horror I felt at what I saw.

Her ashen gray hair fell off her face, fanning loosely out behind her from its normally confined ponytail as she curled herself next to me. Her left leg was thrown over mine and her arms wrapped around my left bicep; using the combination of limbs as a makeshift pillow. The wrinkles framing her eyes were gone, as were the tightness in her lips and cheeks. Actually, this was the first time I had ever seen Karasuba actually relax. The hint of a smile was even playing on her lips as she nuzzled into my side. Not a smirk, not a grin, not that bloodthirsty expression but an honest to goodness smile. For all our bickering and trying to kill each other I had never really noticed just how beautiful Karasuba was. I knew she was attractive from the first moment I saw her, but I'd never really noticed her beauty before.

It was more than a little disconcerting.

On a more relevant note… what by the Root of All Creation was _Karasuba_ doing in my _bed_?! I went to sleep alone. I'm sure I did. Karasuba left last night, I watched her leave right after she discovered the scar from Gae Blog. Granted, she was dressed in much the same way she was last night when she left. Her black tunic was tousled by sleep and rode up past her bellybutton and lacked the leather straps and harnesses that attached to her also missing belt. Her legs were bare of her usual black leggings as well, revealing her long, toned legs and milky white skin where they weren't covered by blankets. I could only thank the Throne that Takami was too busy at MBI to come home; I wasn't sure how I could ever explain this situation to her. Hell, I couldn't even explain it to myself!

Akitsu being disturbed by my nightmare and coming to check on me was questionable, but I was willing to overlook that particular oddness in light of her equally questionable situation. She did seem to have recovered a bit from her ordeal, whatever that was, and if being close to someone else helped her cope than I was willing to let her be. Well, so long as no one got hurt and it seemed as she was normalizing.

Karasuba though… well there was only one thing to do about that.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to get up then. Would you mind opening the linen closet and start folding your sheets? I'll take care of the mats." Akitsu released my hand from its fleshy prison and moved to get up. This caused her mostly unfastened shirt to hang completely off her frame, freeing her not-inconsiderable bust, as well as revealing that her top wasn't the only nighttime adjustment she made to her clothes.

"Aktisu, why aren't you wearing any pajama bottoms?" I had wisely decided to avert my gaze to something slightly less Dangerous. Like the still sleeping Karasuba. Maybe my definition of dangerous was skewed, I realized, when I prioritize the more-than-half naked woman as more dangerous as the one who tried to kill me the night before. Granted, the latter could be fought with swords (and what was I but a collection of swords). The former? Not so much (Don't let Rin's misconstrued euphemisms tell you otherwise).

My question caused her to stop mid-rise and direct her attention back towards me. "Too warm." She responded after a moment. I think I was getting the hang of her shortened sentences. She got too hot during the night so she shed the other clothes and unbuttoned her top. Maybe it was due to the nature of her ice powers that she got too hot in the night? My room did to collect heat, making it one of the hottest rooms in the apartment.

"Is that why you aren't wearing any underwear either?"

"Oh…" She cocked her head to the side, contemplating, and then announced, "I forgot."

There was nothing I could say to that and after a moment Akitsu returned to her previous task of diligently gathering the bed linen one by one and retreating to my room to fold them. I took the time to look around the room. There was a string of abandoned clothes leading from the balcony's open sliding glass doors to the pile of bedding. Laying half in and half out of the apartment was one her shoes, the other must have been kicked off as it lay under the dining room table. Her black, thigh high stockings rested under a pile of discarded leather belts to which her scabbard was still attached. Her signature white coat pooled on the floor at the foot of the bed mat speckled a dark red with faded and dried blood. That must have been from last night – a recent killing as her coat was pristine when she left here.

Well, there was one concern: location of Karasuba's long sword, check.

Let it never be said that dating Rin hadn't taught me anything. Slowly and deftly, so as not to awaken her, I scooped the still sleeping alien into my arms and stood up. The trick to moving a clingy bedmate was to hug them just a bit tighter before any movement and then relax as you shifted. This was a key skill when awakening next to a zombie that liked to shoot condensed magical curses at you when her sleep was disturbed, especially if the reward for not having coffee ready by the time she did wake up was a grumpy Rin-sama. Rin really didn't deal well with mornings. Thankfully, my experience dealing with her transferred well in dealing with the woman in my arms as I maneuvered towards the linen closet in my room.

Ah, good. Akitsu did open the closet before she started on folding. She did pause in her work as I entered, studying me inscrutably as I made my way past her. She still hadn't done anything on the not wearing pants front, but I had other concerns at the moment.

I took one last look at the woman in my arms as I reached my destination. That peaceful expression softened further as she nuzzled into my chest. I had been revering to her as a crow, per her namesake, but I think maybe Karasuba was more like a big cat. Like a puma or something. She treated everyone and everything around her with an amused distain, she expected to be pampered when she wanted it and left alone when she didn't. She came when she was hungry and complained if food wasn't ready. Yes, Karasuba was much like an overgrown housecat, if one that liked to feast on the entrails of all of humanity and dance in the shower of gore. What a ridiculous creature. Oh well.

With that thought I calmly tossed her into the closet. The look on her face as the sudden weightlessness of free fall ripped her from her slumber as she tumbled into the pile of linens? Oh, so priceless. I then shut the door on her.

It was times like this that I realized I'd become a bit of an ass during my stint at the Mage's Association. It was also times like these, as the room was filled with banging and muffled curses as Karasuba tried to struggle free from the blankets that I realized just how funny it was.

"Haihane you dumb slut! I don't know how you did it but when I get out of here I'll skin your pale ass alive and beat you to death with your own damn hide!" Karasuba's colorful retort was mixed in with other such curses and thumps as she fought her way free. "I'm going to shove my sword so far up your ass that even Miya will choke…on…it…" She trailed off as she finally flung open the door to see me staring down at her. Oh, so priceless. I really needed to do this again. "Sahashi-kun? Why are you in my room?"

"Bzzzt! Wrong answer." I glowered. Turnabout was fair play, after all. "I believe the question is what are _you_ doing in _my_ room?"

"Your room? No, I sleep at MBI." She took a moment to glance around. Akitsu folding clothes: check. Angry Shirou: check. Painted walls of Takami's apartment: check. I mentally ticked off what she was looking at before she suddenly reddened.

"Ah…" Whatever she was going to say got stuck in her throat apparently as she kept trying to start a sentence and failing miserably.

"I'm going to go make breakfast." I told her, taking most likely undeserved pity on the creature. "You and Akitsu get cleaned up and dressed. Then you can answer what you're doing here."

I think one of the two interpreted my statement as more of an order, if the sound of falling fabric were any indication. My eye twitched. "Akitsu… did you just start disrobing?"

"…Yes."

I see. "I see. Carry on then, I suppose." I was at a loss as to how the hell I was supposed to respond to that. Instead, I purposefully looked nowhere but at the door as I marched out. I might be starting to regret inviting that one home. Not that I regret helping her, never that, but damn if she wasn't a strange one. Well meaning, I suppose, but strange.

With that, I retreated into the kitchen.

Of course, what awaited me there was an empty pantry. I had forgotten all about last night's misadventures with Sekirei appetites.

"I'm heading to the store for groceries. I'll be right back." I called out as I shrugged into last night's jeans. The night shirt would do if I had a coat on over it. Slipping on my shoes I left the apartment.

*Scene Change, Karasuba's POV*

The sharp click-clack of my heels on the tile lined halls sent interns, pages and salary workers scurrying in delightful panic as I marched through MBI's upper floor offices. Instead of enjoying their stricken expressions as they scattered out of my way like cockroaches as I normally did, I ignored them as I made my way to Minaka's office. He called a board meeting for this morning and as loathsome as I found those stuffy meetings I had to be there.

I tore viciously into the apple in my hand. The crunch and tear of its flesh led several of the pages to pale and one to faint. This was not my best day. In addition to this stupid meeting I had missed my customary breakfast at my apparently-not-so-loyal servant's place. Not that I was using this meeting as an excuse for my flight while Shirou was out. Why would I flee from a mere human or that tramp piece of trash that followed him home? That thought was punctuate by several more bites of apple.

"Ah, excellent." Minaka exclaimed as I entered the boardroom. "Now that Karasuba is here we may begin. Please, take a seat dear."

I tossed out the now barren apple core as I took my designated seat as Captain of the Disciplinary Squad. Seated at the head of the table was Hiroto Minaka, the president, founder and CEO of Mid Bio Informatics. As usual, the white haired man was bedecked entirely in white; He wore a white suit over a white shirt, on his hands were white gloves and draped over his shoulders was a white cape that fastened around his neck. At his right was Sahashi Takami, the equally white haired head of the science team assigned to the Sekirei Plan.

On Minaka's left side was Tsuyu Fukikozo. The grey haired sexagenarian was the head of MBI's legal team and had been with the company since its first founding. He wore a sharp but plain brown suit, his hair combed back from his face in a professional short cropped style. His sharp features gave him a militaristic like demeanor and his strict adherence to business etiquette seemed to make him a more severe figure than he truly was. The man didn't seem to care at all about the Sekirei or the Sekirei Plan, and thus I'd had very little dealing with him.

Seated further down from Sahashi was Takashi Yokubo, the young head of the pharmaceutics department. The thirty-something year old was yet another medical genius in the employ of MBI who was scooped up by the company right out of medical school. The glasses wearing doctor was kept on the technology side of the Sekirei Plan, replicating the salvaged technology from Kamikura Island into a usable human analogue. As was his penchant, he pushed his glasses up in an angle to reflect the overhead lights off the thick lenses, the glare shielding his eyes from sight.

Sitting nervously to my left was Toumo Tsukihime. She kept her long, brown hair in a low ponytail that hung down to her waist and let her bangs frame her face. Even at her age the woman was scatterbrained, often losing track of her notes, her pens and her thoughts in a way that made these meetings drag on forever, but she had a good head for numbers. I had the impression that she was a college friend of Sahashi (another reason to not like the waif) as well. Well, she had to be intelligent enough or she wouldn't be here.

The last seat on the board was taken by Asha Ishtayl, the strangely named head of Human Resources. The German borne woman was another young face in the company, and while not a genius like the others, performed her job with aplomb and vigor. She had been my handler for a few weeks when my Squad and I were doing some internal cleaning. She was also one of the few people who were interesting enough to talk to, when she wasn't pestering me about frivolous things.

"Good Morning Everyone!" Minaka exclaimed boisterously. "How about we get started with a quick review of the overnights? Ms. Tsukihime, if you will?"

"Ah! Yes!" Toumo searched through her folders for the proper papers.

I quickly tuned out as the meeting got fully underway. The inner working of MBI held little interest to me, especially considering the morning I'd had. It would not be too far from the truth to call this morning an unmitigated disaster.

I could only blame the Scrap Number for this. Everything had been going so well until she showed her unwelcome face around. My Takami-Free week with Shirou was supposed to be fun and exciting and full of delicious free food. Maybe even a little blood if all things went well. Yet instead of all that I had spent all morning digging through MBI's records in a cold dark basement room.

There wasn't a lot of information I was privy to, even as 'MBI's Dog,' as I was often called. After Shirou left this morning the Scraped Number had the gall to threaten me. Who was that icy little tramp to question my motives regarding her private chef?! The shame still stung and I clenched my hand around the hilt of my sword. Had I still had it at that moment I would have painted the room (and most likely the rubble that used to be the upper half of the building) in her blood. But instead my sword was nowhere to be found and I was entangled in a linen closet as the witch stood before me cloaked in her power. I grit my teeth at the memory of having suffered that abuse and just leaving. Oh, there would be a reckoning.

So I had spent the rest of the morning looking up everything I could about the bitch and what a Scrap Number was. On the latter part there was almost nothing, or at least nothing I could access with my impressive clearance level. Apparently the man responsible for her adjustments had made a mistake as Akitsu was unable to have an Ashikabi. Her abilities were both powerful and unstable enough that she spontaneously winged herself? What a load of bullshit. Although some of that did explain the strength she displayed.

The worse part, and the part that explained much of the events of last night and this morning, was that she was a single number. The god dammed former number 07, to be exact. It must be my accursed lot in life that all my problems stemmed from the other single numbers.

In my research I came across a reference to a paper by Dr. Miyuki Akagi, a now deceased scientist who worked closely with Miya and Takehito Asama on the psychic portion of the Sekirei reproductive aspect. The obscure branch of the research didn't reveal any concrete information, but there was apparently enough that Dr. Akagi had come up with a sound enough theory; named it some resonance effect nonsense. The technicalities of the theory yet escaped me, but to put it in layman's terms it suggested that with each Sekirei that reacted to or were winged by an Ashikabi, they became a more attractive and powerful Ashikabi in terms of attracting additional and/or more powerful Sekirei.

Several weeks I had been hanging around Shirou and nothing like last night had happened. The possibility was always there. I knew and accepted that, taking efforts to prevent it; efforts that succeeded until last night. Akitsu was the key. This mess only happened when she started sniffing around. Just because she couldn't be winged didn't mean she couldn't react, right? Yes, that's what it was. It had to be! The stray had probably already made her move to claim him by now too. She began reacting to Shirou and her reaction led him to be a more potent Ashikabi. That was the only explanation for why I…

"Then let's move on to the next point. Benitsubasa has reacted to and been winged by Natsuo Ichinomi, one of our pharmaceutical clerks. I believe we should move to have the rest of the Disciplinary Squad winged as well."

I looked up as this snippet of the conversation broke through my thoughts.

Ah, Natsuo. I didn't even need to look at the dossier to know about him. From the perspective of the board he is a good choice. For one, he is an MBI employee and a loyal one at that. He has also been involved in the initial stages of the Sekirei Plan and thus knew more about us and the inner workings of the plan than the average Ashikabi. From a managerial standpoint, his pragmatic and charismatic nature made him a good looking, well-spoken and thoughtful figure to represent MBI in the coming conflict.

On a more personal note, I approved of him.

Even before that little upstart Benitsubasa started reacting to him I had been looking into him. His rise through MBI had been nothing less than meteoric, well-liked by his colleagues and coworkers for his professionalism and innovative thinking. I had the pleasure of meeting him sometime after that bitch Yume went and killed herself to save little Musubi. At the time he had just lost his own lover and his anger and grief at this abhorrent little world was a refreshing reflection of my own. He was actually the only person at MBI I actually liked talking to other than to nettle or threaten. Oh, yes, he was also a homosexual. All in all, he was an ideal Ashikabi and one I was sorely tempted to take.

That was until I met Shirou Emiya.

Honestly, my first impression was that he wasn't very impressive at all. He was a young man, a little too young to be an infiltrator from a foreign government, but still old enough to be from a rival company. I didn't really care. His bravado was the same as all the other young guns who think they're smarter than the competition; the cocky confidence in the face of death threats was nothing new to me. I actually enjoyed breaking them more than their older counterparts. You got to watch the horror of their situation dawn on them just as the wet work began. He was cute too: tall and strangely tanned for a Japanese man with delightfully sharp golden eyes. I was really going to enjoy ruining those good looks.

Up until he put a shitty serrated knife three inches into a solid concrete wall.

That perked my interest, especially given how he did it under the nose of Takami Sahashi. While I didn't like the woman, she was not unobservant, even if she was slightly distracted at the time. That was when I finally paid attention to the man in front of me. What I had taken for arrogant posturing was actually an even seating, allowing him to move in either direction at a moment's notice. His hands while visible and before the knife positioned unthreateningly, were close enough to his baggage to pull a weapon or reach into his coat. When he threw the first of my little keepsakes, in that ephemeral moment, I saw something in those exotic golden eyes. His eyes, filled with fire and steel, were not the eyes of a corporate saboteur. They were the eyes of a killer, not some random psychotic either, but a consummate and professional one. This man was an assassin, a young but obviously skilled one at that.

And then it was gone.

I remember feeling vaguely bereft afterward. I wanted to see it again. I wanted to see those eyes of his. I wanted to see his anger again. See him bleed. See him kill. I wouldn't be satisfied with his death until I saw the deepest pits of his being. Then and only then, would I kill him and watch those eyes die out.

But that would wait until he satiated my curiosity. The knife I pulled from the wall was sharp, almost unnaturally so, to the point that even being buried into a wall didn't blunt it's edge, though the first serration had chipped off. No, that wasn't right. This shit piece of metal wasn't _almost_ unnaturally sharp; even if he had spent the past few hours honing its edge there would be unevenness to the edge around the serrations. It was impossible to sharpen an edge to that degree by hand. Hell, even the swords used by the first Disciplinary Squad were sharpened by high pressure water to give them their peerless blades. He must have done something to it and I was determined to find out what.

Emiya Shirou…

Or rather, I liked to call him Ichirou Sahashi. It was the fastest route to seeing his little trick, or whatever he did to turn random and usually harmless things into implements of murder. Granted, those implements of murder were then used on me, but that was a technicality. Besides, the last time he actually tried to hit me was the last day he stayed in that hotel. He had come damn close too. Closer than anyone has since the number 01 gave up her spurs and settled down.

Since then it had sort of become our thing: I nettled him into giving me free things and he made half-assed attempts on my life. It was just us having some (mostly) harmless fun. Like we were flirting.

I, Karasuba the Black Sekirei, was flirting with a human.

And I was enjoying it too. I mean, what was there not to like? I got to annoy that damn annoying Sahashi woman. Emiya-kun's cooking was amazing, much better than the crap around MBI, and it was free to boot. Not that everything at MBI wasn't free for me (because it was), but that Emiya-kun could top the chefs the board flew in was impressive. Our banter was alternately mindless and witty, but was always fun. It reminded me in no small way of my days back in the first Disciplinary Squad, before the Invasion of Kamikura Island.

I wasn't reacting. Not really. The potential was there, but I knew how to avoid that. I thought that as long as I kept a certain distance I'd be fine. The Sahashi apartment was a little sanctuary that way, a place that reminded me of a better time. It would be the last place I destroyed, if I could manage that, when I burnt this pathetic little world to ash.

And then there was last night. I don't really remember much of it. I thought that my sanctuary had been violated. Violated and taken by the last person I was trying to support. I went there to kill her, I realize. I didn't care if it was premature, that she wasn't strong enough to give me the feeling I craved. She wasn't strong enough to give me what Yume denied me. And then I was going to kill him. Kill him for his betrayal.

I would not be denied again.

What I do remember is warmth. The heat was suffusing my body. My heart was hammering a staccato in my chest. I remember tracing the outline of his scar, how the skin went from rough to smooth around the edges of that red sunburst. The feeling of his breath on my face as my own came in rapid gasps and pants. His golden-brown eyes locked onto mine, furrows in concern and confusion. Just a few more inches and I would have winged myself on him.

There was only one thing left to do now.

"I have a nomination." I spoke up, instantly drawing the eyes of the board. It wasn't often I spoke up in these tedious meetings. "I've begun reacting and I'd like to bring him in."

"Ohoho!" The ever excitable Minaka laughed and clapped. "So someone has finally managed to capture the heart of our Black Sekirei? I love it!"

"And just who is this man?" Takami narrows her eyes at my announcement. I would have been disappointed if she didn't already guess my intention.

My smile was positively vicious as I stared back at her.

"Ichirou Sahashi."

The white haired doctor opened her mouth to protest when another voice cut her off.

"Ichirou-kun?" The director looked contemplative, abandoning his usual goofy demeanor to study me intently. It was easy to forget that behind his childish and seemingly random actions that Minaka was the genius who resurrected the Sekirei as a race. "I had hopes for him entering the plan as a contestant. Our short conversation gave me the impression that he'd bring interesting things to our game. But giving him the Disciplinary Squad? Hmm…"

His thoughtful expression was literally wiped off his face by a flying clipboard. "You can't actually be considering this Minaka!"

"Why not?" He pouted, recovering from the blow. "He is a fine candidate. He is already in our systems. We know he won't be leaving and he has ties to the Plan already. I want to see what he'll do."

"No!" Takami stood and slammed her hands on the table. "Absolutely not! It's bad enough that Minato got involved in this ridiculous game of yours. I will not allow you to take another one of my children. Shirou stays out of it."

"But Takami-!" Minaka whined.

"Shirou. Stays. Out." Takami ground out, interrupting him.

Minaka's moment of silent contemplation was telling. Dammit, of all the times for him to yield to the overbearing geneticist it had to be now. Granted, without Takami MBI would lose its second of the three great minds behind the Sekirei Plan, and Minaka was smart enough to not to push her too far for risk of her leaving. After a moment Minaka nodded. "Fine, fine. We'll proceed with Natsuo as the official MBI contestant. Karasuba, you and Haihane will have to wing him. If you're reacting it might be best to do so sooner rather than later. Now for the next order of business: how are numbers 107 and 108 coming along?"

Takami took a moment to recompose herself and sit back down. "Progress on the last two numbers is going well. Number 107, Shiina, is ready to be released today, but I'd like to keep him here until Number 108, Kusano, is also ready. As stated in your briefs Kusano has the ability to control and affect the growth of organic matter and Shiina is the counterpart to that ability. Until her adjustments are finished, which are projected to end at the end of the week, I'd like to keep Shiina within the labs to help control Kusano's abilities as they are still slightly unstable. I'd also like permission to take Kusano on a field trip to the biological gardens downtown. As with the other projects under my team and as listed in your briefs, exposure to the city before the initial release of the Sekirei improves the chances of winging and lowers unintended or accidental injuries to people by 17%. With Kusano this is of particular importance, especially as we are conditioning her to only use her powers on plant matter…"

I tuned back out of the meeting now that it shifted back to less interesting topics. Besides, I had other things to think about right now. Natsuo wasn't a bad choice at all, and if it came to it he was a choice I could be satisfied with. But just because I was denied officially forcing Shirou to me, didn't mean I was barred from doing it. It would just be a more difficult venture, requiring subtly and guile, but first I had to make sure that it was the right choice.

My thoughts turned back to this morning.

As a species, all Sekirei were slightly psychic. It was how we found our mates: subconsciously reading the people around us until we found someone compatible. The winging and activation of our crests were also psychic phenomena, binding us more closely to our chosen by opening that subconscious channel and letting our minds 'bleed through' to one another. I had never been particularly strong in this aspect of my race, but that didn't mean I wasn't still capable of it. The Reaction Dream I had this morning, joining my subconscious to Shirou's sleeping mind and merging our dreams was proof of this.

I vaguely recall Takami and he had mentioned a fire, one that consumed the city and had reportedly taken Shirou's life as a child. Hearing it spoken of like that didn't do justice to what really happened. Not in the slightest. At the moment of entering his dream I saw it. I heard the screaming pleas of people consumed by flames. I saw houses collapse on their occupants, turning prized homes into hellish death traps. I saw people combusting as they rushing into the flames to try and save the already dead. Even in all the one woman slaughters I'd taken part in as a member of the Disciplinary Squad I had never seen something so beautiful. And there, standing amongst the carnage was Shirou: his skin was blackened and charred; parts of him were still burning while others glistened from the metallic shrapnel that littered his ruined body.

And he survived it. He survived that beautiful hell and much more, if his scars were any indication. My Shirou was a survivor? Then it was time to test the strength of his will before I determined if he was worthy enough of my attention. I needed to see him in action. Just once would be enough.

I needed to see those eyes of his again.

And for that, I needed a plan.

*Scene Change*

"Oni-chan!" Yukari exclaimed as she barreled through the now open door and leapt at me. Catching her, I had to step back, retreating further into the apartment and spinning lightly to bleed off her momentum.

"Hello, little Yukari-chan," I said as I put her back on the ground. "I see you're excitable as ever."

She giggled, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. She was dressed in her school uniform. Her military cut double buttoned jacket over a white button-up blouse. A red checkered tie was bound at her collar and dipped into her jacket. Her tastefully knee length brown skirt matched the jacket. Her only concession to her unique flare for style was the stockings pulled up to her skirt. I knew she went to school back in the country, where Takami said they had a family house, but I didn't recognize the uniform or the crest. "Of course! This is the first time in forever since we got to have a family dinner again!"

"Uh-huh," I muttered skeptically. "I'm sure your mood has nothing to do with your celebratory cake."

"Not a bit!" She lied with a wide smile. She really was the unholy combination of Taiga and Illya. "Why, what does delicious, rich, chocolaty cake-y goodness have to compete with against family? Oh, yeah! Oni-chan, did you know Minato-kun has an awesome set of boobs?!"

The sheer wrongness of that statement as juxtaposition took me aback. I had just seen Minato last night and he definitely did not have breasts… Was this some part of the ritual he performed with Musubi that I wasn't aware of? Yukari rolled her eyes at my dumbfounded stare, disappearing out the door with a quick 'Hold on, I'll go get them.'

From the hall emanated a number of distinctly feminine squeaks, among other snippets of broken conversation and Yukari's giggling.

"Fufufufu-"

"A-ah! But not even Minato has-!"

"-Fufufufufufu-"

"Yukari! What are you – Those don't go there!"

"-Fufufufufufu-"

Musubi was pushed through the door, squirming in place as Yukari groped her massive bust enthusiastically. "See, see?" She chirped, heedless of Musubi's protest. "They're huge!"

Instead of the pseudo-shrine girl outfit I'd seen her in last; Musubi was dressed in a school uniform as well. Although, where Yukari's was probably her actual school uniform and thus tastefully functional, the one Musubi was wearing was more than a little fetishistic. The blue pencil skirt was almost skintight and rode high on her legs, barely coming down enough to cover her rear. The matching blue boat was cut into a plunging V neck and tailored to emphasize the girl's already massive bust, over which Yukari's fingers squirmed like maggots. Or worse, as she kneaded and squeezed they looked more like tiny tentacles.

I was not sure if I should be surprised or not at Yukari's behavior. She was a bit of a… well, no. She was a huge lecher. With her fascination with breasts I would start to question her orientation but she was just as hands-y when it came to her pretty-boys. Then again, those boys did look like girls to begin with, the only difference being anatomically…

I pinched the bridge of my nose to cut of the impending headache finishing that thought would inflict.

"Yukari, let go of Musubi/Stop molesting Musubi, Yukari" I sighed and Minato cried simultaneously. It had been so long since Fuyuki and with just Takami and me (and I guess the crow) that I had forgotten how lively family could be. At least with Ilya, she had the decency to only grope other family members. Wait, no, that was still wrong. Why did I want to be around family again?

The hint of mint and clean snow alerted me to Akitsu's presence just before I felt the slight decrease in temperature behind me.

"Shirou-sama?" Her voice was tighter than her normal monotone. I wouldn't have been able to tell if it weren't for last night's altercation with Karasuba. Akitsu was concerned and gearing up for battle by the telltale dip in temperature. She must have realized that Musubi was another Sekirei.

"It is okay, Akitsu." I reassured her. I think. I just didn't have a good grasp on the stoic woman yet, something that still weighed heavily on my mind, but her scent receded a little so I must have been effective.

"Ohoho? Who is this?" She perked up, eyes sparkling. She suddenly tried to rush past me I barely caught her by the back of her collar before she could latch onto Akitsu's breasts like some kind of obscene barnacle.

"Yukari, no molesting Akitsu either." I warned her. "Now if you settle down I'll introduce you."

"But Shirou," She muttered wide eyed, locked onto the impressive amount of cleavage Akitsu was showing. While not physically as… developed as Musubi, her scavenged clothes were visibly tight despite leaving the top few buttons unfastened. "They're so… big."

The childish wonder and amazement in her voice honestly scared me a little.

"Yukari…" I ground out.

"Fine, Fine." She flippantly waved me off and slumped forward, abandoning her quest to latch onto Akitsu's bosom… for the time being. I was about to let her go when she took a sudden deep breath and straightened, pointing a finger at the ice woman and asked, "You there, what are your intentions towards my brother?"

I released her, clutching the bridge of my nose as I let out a deep sigh. I take back everything good I ever said about her. She was much, MUCH, worse than the unholy love child of Illya and Taiga. Great, now I was going to have that image stuck in my head all day. What was with this girl that she so abruptly and randomly flipped though emotions?

I was just about to answer her when Akitsu beat me to it.

"He is my Ashikabi-sama." She delivered in a perfectly even tone. No inflection. Damn her.

The statement had Yukari gaping like a fish out of water, her mouth moved but nothing more than broken half words came forth.

"She's a Sekirei?" Minato question was more of a statement as I caught him noticing the marking on Akitsu's forehead. I was torn. On the one hand I was glad he was observant. When I first entered the Holy Grail War my lack of such skill almost led to my numerous almost deaths. On the other hand, I was annoyed at his lack of discretion.

"She is?" Musubi chirped and bounced about in front of the other Sekirei in excitement. "I'm number 88, Musubi! Are we going to fight now?"

Akitsu's scent sharpened again as she examined the brown haired shrine girl and slowly turned her gaze on me. "No fighting. Now all of you sit down so I can get through introductions."

As we all took our seats I took a moment to organize my thoughts, most of them revolving around the ice user I took in last night.

I was going to use her.

That was it, plain and simple. After I had returned with breakfast to find Karasuba missing, Akitsu had asked me to be her Ashikabi. She had said that even though she could never bear my mark, were she capable then I would be hers. She said that she would serve me so long as I'd accept her, broken as she was.

So I accepted. She was broken and perfect. A Sekirei not bound to the limits of the Plan. One who wasn't marked down to an Ashikabi and never could be. MBI obviously had a way of tracking Sekirei to their Ashikabi; this was evident by how quickly they called Minato after he made his contract with Musubi. But Akitsu, staring at me with blatant hope and fear, was an anomaly. An anonymous weapon. The 8th Servant.

She would be our ace in the hole, a second unregistered combatant to tip the scales in Minato's favor once we went on the hunt. Since she was outside the plan I wouldn't have to kill her once Minato was the final Ashikabi. Or at least I hoped I wouldn't. Hers would be just another death that haunted me for obvious reasons.

I shook my head to banish the ghost of a face, smiling lips stained with blood and words of gratitude and exaltation, which flashed through my mind. I could go over the details with Minato later, I already had an excuse to talk to him alone, but right now Yukari was here and the Sekirei Plan had to be kept secret.

"First off, I'd like to introduce you all to Akitsu." I gestured to her at my right. "She's a friend of mine from England. She's here on vacation so I offered to take her in while she's in Japan."

This story worked before when I tried to pass Saber off as one of Kiritsugu's acquaintances. With what little my new family knew of my misadventures abroad, it was a much more believable story then back then.

"Akitsu, this is my little sister, Yukari, my little brother, Minato, and his girlfriend Musubi." Each of the three gave little waves and Minato blushed at the word girlfriend, causing Yukari to snicker. "I'm actually glad you're here early, Yukari. I have a favor to ask of you."

"Huh, me?" She pointed at herself before preening slightly. "I mean, sure! Why wouldn't you ask your beautiful and responsible little sister for a favor?" She giggled and Minato groaned at her little dig.

"Well, Akitsu's luggage was lost on the flight over here. As you can see, we tried to scrounge what clothes we could fit between Takami and I." Akitsu did look slightly ridiculous in one of my borrowed shirts that stretched tight across her chest even with the top few buttons undone. It was the baggiest we could find, but even that didn't seem to be enough as it gave visible proof of our lack of success at finding a fitting bra for her. For bottoms she was wearing one of Takami's pants. They fits properly in most of the right places, even if she had to wear them low on her hips in order to keep them on and they only came down to her calves. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to take her shopping for some replacement clothes while Minato and I go pick up the food for tonight. Takami just called and said she wouldn't be able to shop after work after all."

I pulled out one of my cards and slid it across the table to her. "That should have enough on it to cover the essentials and then some, but don't break the bank. That's debit, not credit. In return I'll even let you get something for yourself." I offered to sweeten the deal.

"Wait, you mean I get to go clothe shopping with these lovely ladies while you do all the boring errands _and_ I get to do it on your account?" Yukari smiled like Christmas came early, rushing around the table to give me yet another flying hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"Yeah, well," I scratched the back of my head as I half embraced her. "Think of it as a congratulation slash graduation gift. Thanks for doing this for me, Yukari. Now let's get a move on so we're ready for when Takami get home, okay?"

*Scene Change, Homura's POV*

"-a!"

I heaved a small sigh and turned over, settling further into my sheets. Sometime during the night I must have thrown them half off.

"-mura!"

"Ugh." I groaned and opened my eyes. I groped blindly for the bedside table where my phone was with one hand and rubbing my eyes with the other. Dammit, what time was it? 11:30?

"Homura!"

That was Matsu's voice. Groaning once more I rolled myself out of bed and fumbled for some pants. What the hell was she going on about? She knew better than to wake me so early in the morning. I'd only gotten back home from work around six.

"Homura, dammit, get up! We need to –" There was a small thump as her last shrill shriek was abruptly cut off. She must have over caffeinated on energy drinks again if she was excited enough to both wake me at this hour and be tripping over herself.

Yawning, I dragged myself to the door. I might was well go see what that lascivious witch wanted if she persisted in being so annoying. I opened the door to find… no one? The hallway was empty as well. Don't tell me that she was making that racket from her room? No, actually, the more I think about it that is exactly what she'd do.

I paused to scratch my chest before wearily began to trudge towards her room located at the top of the stairs. Well, her hidden compartment at the top of the stairs. As I passed through the living room I noticed one of the screen doors to the yard was open. "Did Uzume leave without closing the door again?" I muttered, ignoring it for now. At least she didn't leave the front open again, like she was wont to do, so I could close it after I dealt with the red-haired pervert upstairs.

When I got there her door was already open, probably so she could yell at me more clearly without leaving her room. Stepping through, I brushed the curtain aside. "What do you want, Matsu? I swear if it isn't good this time I'll-"

Full wakefulness struck me with the force of Tsukiumi's Water Celebration. Standing amidst the middle of a section of scattered electronics was Karasuba. The Black Sekirei, the Dog of MBI, was standing in the middle of Matsu's hidden chamber holding said occupant by the throat. Matsu's customary thick framed glasses were missing, probably struck from her face if the growing discoloration on her cheek was any indication. The reflection of the many monitors leant an eerie green tinge to the scene, highlighting the white of Matsu's calf-length shift and all but drowning out Karasuba entirely.

In the half second it took me to process all this I was already in motion, my hands alight. Matsu wouldn't be happy, but if the destruction of her room was the price she paid to be saved from the Black she'd get over it.

Too slow!

Even as I tried to unleash my power Matsu's body careened into me. We fell in a tangled amalgam of limbs, struggling to get my arms free to get the shot.

"Ah!" I felt a sharp pain in my side, but it was Matsu who cried out as Karasuba viciously stomped down on the two of us. The distinctive whisper of unsheathed steel quelled our struggles as Karasuba rested the tip just under Matsu's ribcage. The thrust wouldn't kill her, but due to our positioning it would pierce me in a vital place and after that Matsu was as good as dead. I cursed. Even if I wasn't sure that Karasuba could kill us and dodge should I try and attack, my lack of control over my powers would definitely hurt Matsu.

"Oh? And what kind of welcome is this to give old friends, Matsu? Why, with all of your running and screaming one might think you don't like me." Karasuba droned sardonically, an agonizingly triumphant smirk on her face. She knew I couldn't do anything with Matsu on top of me like this.

"H-how?" Matsu gasped as Karasuba's heel dug in.

"How did I find you? Matsu, MBI has known where you've been this entire time. You were just never worth the effort of collecting so we let you remain here." Karasuba's eyes crinkled as she smiled. She must have read something in Matsu's purpling face as she continued, "What, you thought you'd gotten away? That you were safe? You know how we operate 02."

"M-M-Mi-"

"Miya? Don't worry about her; she's out shopping right now. I figured that while she's out we could have a little talk. You know, like the good old days."

"What do you want?" I interrupted. Since she wasn't killing us then she probably wasn't here on official MBI business. That meant she wanted something. She wanted it enough to watch Izumo until Miya left and violate MBI's standing methodology of leaving Miya, and thus Izumo, alone to get it.

"Hmm? Right to the point then. You see, I came across a little problem this morning. Imagine my surprise when I went into the records room on a routine background check, only to find that I lacked the proper clearance? I know they're in the system, I even watched them be processed, but I can't access the information. Since I need to do a little digging anyway and I don't have nearly the time or inclination to be rooting through electronic records, I thought to myself 'who has that kind of time and skill on their hands just lying about?'"

So that is what she was after. This seemed a little extreme for just information gathering, but we could use this. All we need to do is keep her busy until Miya gets back home and hope we survive the aftermath.

"That's it?" I asked. "We do this for you and then what?"

She smiles. How unpleasant.

"Well, I was thinking of letting you go and walking away. You know, I let you live and we forget this ever happened." She pauses and adjusts the angle of her blade. "But I could always just kill you, if that's what you're asking?"

"No, letting us live is good." I reply, "Matsu?"

"Alright, I'll do it." Matsu says begrudgingly. "But I'll need physical access to my computers; it'll speed things up."

Nodding, Karasuba sheaths her sword and calmly steps off us. "Good. I'll give you my account access and you'll hack into the MBI database for me. Just so you know, try anything and you'll die before you can blink."

Unfortunately, she was probably right. As much as I hated it, she was too fast for me. The gap in strength, even amongst single digits, was staggering. Any conflict here would only end in her favor, lest I had the drop on her.

"Who is it you're looking for anyway?" I ask as we moved back into Matsu's hideaway, not that it served its purpose apparently. That MBI left us alone because we weren't worth dealing with… the thought rankled. Matsu began righting some of the equipment that fell over when Karasuba knocked her around. "This seems like a lot of effort to find out about just one person."

"I already know about them, I just can't access their records." She scoffed. "He's hiding something and MBI is helping him. I just don't know why. So I want you tell me everything you can find about Shirou Emiya."

My sharp gasp was thankfully covered by the sound of Matsu's frantic typing. Shirou Emiya. He was one of the two people I had asked Matsu to look into yesterday. The other was Minato Sahashi, brothers if I remembered correctly despite their different names. I scratched my chest. What was she doing looking into Shirou's history? Why him? Why them?

"Shirou Emiya. Age: 25 years. Height: 1.88 meters." Matsu's rambling off of his statistics broke me from my thoughts. "First appearance is 15 years ago in the aftermath of the Fuyuki City fire. Status: orphaned in the conflagration. Is then adopted by Kiritsugu Emiya; details to follow. Following Kiritsugu's death five years later, cause unknown, Shirou's life is low key. Several awards in archery competitions his first year of high school before abruptly leaving that same year. Hospital records confirm a job site injury with correlating date. Bone fracture, no complications. Employment records show several local jobs following the death of his adopted father, all part time after school."

"There are several irregularities in his sophomore year, however. Gas leaks rendering entire buildings full of people unconscious, reports of missing people, and odd event at the High School that resulted in the injury of most of the student body; maiming many and killing a few. In a week long period many such events were logged and then abruptly dismissed by local authorities. Current conjecture: Fuyuki may be the base of a conspiracy. More information to follow."

"In his sophomore year he takes in one Illyasviel von Eisenburn as an adopted sister. Her death certificate is dated one year later. Further information on her is unavailable. After this period Shirou leaves the country, destination: England. From here his movements are erratic. Most of the time he seems to be in England, but the exact whereabouts is unknown. There is no record of him leasing an apartment or home, no record of enlisting with local banks and his account in japan was liquidated. No known contacts of his in the area."

"However, there are numerous airline tickets that pop up in his name. Most are round trip flights all leading back to England and those that aren't are usually linked to a flight to a secondary or tertiary location. In all events, records indicate he returns to somewhere in England via several airports across the country."

Matsu snaps out of her power induced trance and stretches from her cross legged position in front of the monitors. "This brings me to Shirou Emiya conjecture 01: that he is a professional mercenary."

"A mercenary?" I cough. "Isn't that a bit of a rash conclusion?"

"No." Karasuba answers for me. Her expression is strangely serious. "That makes sense, but how did you come to that conclusion?"

"I have to say I was puzzled for a bit. He is registered as owning a business, although no storefront: a private contracting company. He has a listed forwarding address, but nothing more. Mostly it seems to be electrical and mechanical maintenance work with the odd custom job thrown in. The locations he travels to are all listed as business expenses with receipts for the jobs. Overall everything looks legit."

"If it's legit then how did you come up with something as crazy as him being a mercenary?" I asked incredulously. I was beginning to suspect that all this time in hiding and looking up her conspiracy theory websites has finally gone to Matsu's brain. A normal looking handyman is really some globetrotting assassin? I might be a pyro kinetic alien, but even I found that to be farfetched.

"I simply looked at where he was going. The jobs appear to be ordinary, but look at the timeframes cross listed with local events. Brazil: duration of stay 5 days during the most violent part of a civil war. Germany: duration 3 days in which several apartment complexes catch fire. Taiwan: several reported massacres of civilians by drug cartels. The list goes on. Granted, most of this is circumstantial evidence at best."

Matsu smirks triumphantly; adjusting her glasses to reflect the light of her monitors and making the lens appear opaque. "That is, until you look at his adopted father, Kiritsugu Emiya." A few quick taps on the keyboard and two maps light up on different screens. One has a picture of Shirou and shows his flights, duration of stay and the events she must have found suspiciously timed. The other map had a picture of what must have been Kiritsugu showing… an identical picture?

"What am I looking at here?" I mutter. Even Karasuba leaned forward for a better view.

"This was a lot harder to piece together, Kiritsugu Emiya's movements are buried through multiple bureaus in the international community and I'm still not done compiling the list of everything there is. However, what can be gleaned from his movements is that he definitely was a mercenary. He started young and has an odd history of jobs though. He would go to places where the fighting was fiercest and the killing the most brutal. All over the world, he would visit these battlegrounds and as soon as the fighting was done, he'd move to the next one. It's unconfirmed, but he might have also worked as an assassin. Compare his movements to his son's and..."

Holy shit. I think I saw what she was getting at now. The imposed image of the two maps lined up, not perfectly of course, that would be ridiculous. But there was a trend in the data; the mode of transport, location and duration of stay for all of Shirou's jobs were strikingly similar to those of his fathers. In fact, they were too similar to be discounted as mere coincidence.

"Hmm…" Karasuba hummed, "That is interesting. So you think he followed his father's footsteps and became a merc?"

"I think there's enough evidence for that being the most likely scenario but…"

"But?" Karasuba prompted.

"Well, there are several anomalies that I'm currently unable to link together. The first is the appearance and death of Illyasviel von Einzbern. Up until her documentation as Shirou's sister she doesn't exist. The only information I can find on her is her adoption papers and her death certificate. At first I thought that maybe she was another survivor of the Fuyuki City fire; Shirou's medical records indicate that he suffered from amnesia, and thus this documentation before that time is lost. If Kiritsugu adopted one survivor, it sets the precedence that he would adopt another."

"You said she was adopted after Kiritsugu died though."

"Right." Matsu nodded. "Her assumed age doesn't line up with the incident Shirou was caught in. However, in investigating the paperwork there is a large number of inconsistencies in every facet of Fuyuki's records. Police reports, civil engineers, medical reports, coroners. As I mentioned before, there are footprints in these reports of a cover up. Families that go missing and are never reported. People that are transferred but never arrive at their destination. Industrial accidents that are never investigated. So far I've linked the dates to two major clusters, separated by ten years."

"The dates of the fire and the events during Shirou's sophomore year." Karasuba noted.

What? I looked back at the listed dates. She was right. The first set of dates correlated with Kiritsugu's return to japan after several years, Shirou's adoption, and the conflagration that consumed the city. The second set clustered around strange accidents and disappearances and the appearance of Illyasviel. In both cases, the dates only covered a week long span of time.

"That's exactly correct. This brings me back to my theory that Fuyuki was or is the site of a major conspiracy. Who the players are or what their intentions were… of that I have no clue. Normally, I would assume MBI, but during the first incident MBI had yet to come into existence. Other than that all I have is conjecture. If there were even hallway decent electronic records this might be a different story, but I'm afraid this is my limit with what I'm given."

"Hn." Karasuba grunted. "That's good work. I expected nothing less of you 02. Although, now that I think about it there is just one think I can't help but comment on."

"Huh?" Matsu turned, both of us giving the Black Sekirei our attention. "What's that?"

The soft clink of her thumbing her sword out of its sheath echoed ominously in the small enclosure.

"I have yet to give you my account access."

Once more her blade struck out faster than I could hope to dodge. Looks like my attempt at us to stall for time failed.

Dammit.

I closed my eyes. As much as I hated it, there wasn't much I could do but wait for the blow to fall. My only consolation was that at least I wouldn't be a part of that despicable man's game anymore. Or worry about my own powers killing me. I'm sorry Takami, looks like I won't be able to fulfill the promise I made you.

But instead of cutting me down like I had thought, her sword rested lightly on my neck.

"You're reacting." She didn't ask. She stated. When I opened my eyes and looked at her she gestured to my hand. It was steaming. No wonder I felt it was hot in here. "I almost killed you when Matsu started reading, but you didn't notice. That means it must be subconscious, which means you're reacting."

"Yes." There was no point in lying to her now, not if she noticed the evidence of my reaction.

"To Shirou?"

"I'm not sure." At her look I expounded, "I met Shirou Emiya and Minato Sahashi yesterday on my way to work. They were standing next to each other and I didn't stick around to confirm my suspicions. Since then my power has been even more uncontrollable than usual. I had asked Matsu to look into them after the incident."

"I see." She said, once more sheathing her sword. "Since you worked so hard I've decided not to kill you after all. I'll come back if I need more, so don't try running. If you do I'll have to catch you. I'll see myself out now."

No sooner do I hear the back door slide closed do I rush to the bathroom to douse my smoldering hands. Hissing in discomfort I called out to Matsu, "Matsu, get the phone and call Miya, we have to tell her about this."

*Scene Change, unknown POV*

The girl was happy.

The lady had taken her outside to see the sun and the trees and the people.

She smiled as the lady talked. Her words were long, but her expression was kind and it was fun.

They walked underneath the trees that sighed at the gentle caress of the sun.

They walked past the flowers whose colors exploded into every vibrant shade of the rainbow.

The girl joined her laughter to that of the sun and the sky and the trees and the lady.

The girl saw a boy and was curious. She went to greet him, but the lady pulled her back.

The lady was no longer smiling.

The boy's shadow appeared, tall and apathetic. And again, short and mean.

The boy's shadows scared the girl, but she didn't cry for the lady was with her.

The boy invited her to play. He looked so nice but…

But the girl was scared of his shadows and said no.

The lady told the boy to leave and take his shadows with him.

The small shadow grinned, full of malice and blood, and drew its blade.

The girl cried. The lady yelled. The blade descended.

*Scene Change*

I wished Takami had called to let me know that I had to pick these things up before I got home from shopping earlier. It seemed like all I did these past few days was cook and shop and cook again. I snorted at the thought. It was good to enjoy the normal days, soon the Sekirei Plan would pick up and these peaceful days would be replaced with fighting and blood. Speaking of…

"Minato, I spoke with Karasuba last night." I broached the subject. It seemed like so long ago that I had left his place last night to get this information. "She told me something interesting about the contract between Ashikabi and Sekirei. According to her, if the Ashikabi dies then his Sekirei does too."

I looked over at him to meet his puzzled expression. There was a mixture of worry in his features, but no fear. He was either very brave, or didn't understand my meaning or worse, was like me. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Minato, from now on I don't want you going anywhere without either myself or Musubi with you."

"W-what?" He sputtered. My warning must have clicked. "You don't really think I'd be attacked, do you? Musubi said it was against the rules to attack an Ashikabi!"

I had to shake my head. Even in the Grail War I had accepted that I'd be a target. Then again, I had also preferred if it were me doing the fighting instead of my powerful and elegant slip of a girl Saber. It just didn't seem right to have a girl fighting in my stead (or anyone for that matter). Thankfully Minato didn't have that problem… he seemed worried about Musubi, but more than willing to let the excitable young girl have her fight. Or so I hoped.

"And Musubi, as you've no doubt noticed, is terribly optimistic and naïve. This isn't just a tournament; it's a fight to the death between Sekirei. Don't think for a second that they won't target the weaker Ashikabi to get rid of a strong opponent. As far as it goes, from their perspective, you're a much weaker, easier target than Musubi."

"That's not true. People won't just kill one another for a game!" Minato argued, his voice rising. "I don't know why you seem to think they will, but people are good! If attacking an Ashikabi is against the rules then they won't be attacked. Nor will anyone need to die; Sekirei battles are finished by their activation crest being touched, right? Then there isn't any need for bloodshed."

His naivety hurt. In more ways than one. For a brief moment I saw a figure in red and white overlaying him._ I'll make sure nobody has to die_. I grit down on my molars, biting back the sudden and irrational surge of anger and frustration.

I once said that people can only look away when faced with their own mistakes. Kiritsugu was right. But you can't save everyone. In order to save someone, in order to protect someone, you have chosen not to save someone else. A way to save everyone… is just a childish dream. There was no future where everyone could be saved. All you can do is try to save all the ones you can. And no matter what, Minato would be a person I saved. Even if he hated me for it too.

"Minato…" I blew out a breath through my teeth. I squared my feet and crossed my arms, one hand folded in the crook on my arm and the other hand rose to my chin. Shirou pose #3. "How much of a chance do you think I'd have in a fight against Musubi?" It was a trick question in a way. Even on my worst day, so long as I have a few units of prana the girl was as good as dead. But Minato didn't know that. So long as he knew, I was a normal person, which was the point of the question.

"What? Why would you fight Musubi?"

Dammit, I think I lost him. I removed my hand from my chin and held it slightly outward, palm up with my pink and ring fingers curled and the other fingers extended, almost as if I was holding something next to my face. Shirou pose #4.

"Hypothetically, Minato, say you and I were fighting. What do you think my chances are of getting past Musubi to get to you? Pretty low, I bet. After all, Musubi is faster and stronger than us humans, right?" After all, Servant class magical beings tended to be far beyond human capabilities. "But say Musubi wasn't there. Say Akitsu distracted her, or she wasn't around. Do you think you could beat me? Or escape, you could try and run."

I didn't wait for him to reply before I continued on. Unfolding my arms and placing them on my hips I used my superior height to look down on him (the ever popular Shirou Pose #7).

"There are people out there without your scruples, Minato. It is likely that one will be your opponent in this city. Without Musubi's protection, without your Sekirei, you are_ vulnerable_.Why participate in the battle if you can end it before it begins? Minato, if you have to fight someone like that, or like me in this war then I can guarantee you they will not fight you with Sekirei. They'll go right for you instead. And if they're any good at it, without Musubi or me, you won't even see them coming."

"And this isn't a war! Not everyone is like you, Shirou!" He straightened his back and stared back at ne. Our raised voices were beginning to attract the attention of other shoppers, but I couldn't seem to care. If this was anything like how I acted during the war no wonder Saber was so frustrated at me and my suicidal behavior. "They aren't soldiers and this isn't a war! You heard what Musubi said, this is a game! A contest!"

Of all the stupid, stubborn arguments to be having, this was one I didn't think I'd be having with anyone but myself. Did the lack of a sense of self-preservation run in the Sahashi family or something? Thankfully, and I can't believe I would have ever had reason to be thankful to that bloody woman, I caught the scent of blood and honey approaching from down the aisle. I hadn't seen her since her abrupt disappearance earlier that morning, but I was willing to let that slide if she'd back me up here.

"Karasuba," I turned to ask her as the smell of blood got closer, "Tell him what you told me last night…"

I trailed off. That was not Karasuba.

Instead of the tall, gray haired witch I was expecting stood a surprised purple haired woman. She was much shorter than Karasuba, being somewhere around five feet, maybe a little taller. Her hair was long, partially held in place by a white ribbon and left to hang down to the middle of her waist and was cut in a modified Hime-style, worn long and straight with her bangs almost reaching her eyes and her side-locks reaching to her jawline, with two strands hanging down over her shoulders. Surprisingly, she was garbed in the traditional attire of a miko consisting of a purple hakama, a white Haori with a wide, sash-like belt that matched her hakama and wore wooden sandals on her feet.

She looked the very picture of an unassuming house wife.

But she wasn't. This woman was a Sekirei.

She smelt of the same cloying honey smell distinctive of her race, only much more potent, to the point where I almost had the physical sensation to sneeze at the influx of sweetness and tangy metal. I was drowning in old blood and honey and a myriad of other lesser scents I couldn't identify for the overwhelming strength of the former two.

"Ara?"

"Ah…" I took a step back, placing myself between Minato and the strange Sekirei that smelt of blood, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment. Could we go even a day without running into a race with only a little over a hundred members? "I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else."

"No apologies necessary." She smiled magnanimously. Her voice was sweet and melodious. "Were you expecting a friend of yours?"

"Yes, actually. She's a selfish and flakey person, so I've been expecting her to show up at some point." I snort. "When you snuck up on us like that I must have just figured it was her." That was a diplomatic way of concealing 'I thought the scent of your magic was similar to that crow and mistook you for her,' without giving away that I could tell this woman wasn't human. Well, that and she might take being compared to Karasuba as an insult… not that I'd blame her.

"She sounds untrustworthy." She scowled in distaste, her nose scrunching in a way that might have been cute on a normal woman.

"I wouldn't say that." I shrug. "She might be a murderous kleptomaniac with mood swings like a pendulum, but she's dependable." Or at least, she's dependable to act in her own best interests. It should bother me that I can say that with about someone I considered an ally with a straight face.

She frowned, perturbed. "And you call such a disreputable sounding person a friend."

"It's…" complicated? What was my relation to Karasuba? Sure, we tried to kill each other on a semi-regular basis, but wasn't that how I met and interacted with everyone I knew? It wasn't like either of us had seriously tried to kill the other lately. Instead, it felt like we put up token attempts as part of our working if dysfunctional relationship; I'd ask her for information and she'd mooch food from me. Were we friends? Allies? Enemies with a common interest? I didn't know for sure. "Complicated."

She nods, dubiously, before straightening and schooling her expression once more into polite friendliness. "Ah, I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself! I'm Miya Asama." Asama? This was the first time I'd heard a Sekirei give out a last name. Could that be the name of her Ashikabi? If so, where were they now? "I own and run the Izumo Inn up town."

"An inn? Shirou, this is perfect!" Minato exclaimed. "The landlord just found out about Musubi this morning so we need to find a new place. Would you happen to have any available rooms? What are your rates? Ah, please forgive my manners! My name is Minato Sahashi."

The inn she owns? For a moment I felt an irrational suspicion. Minato was right; this was a perfect coincidence that the owner of an inn met someone looking for a room after running into them at the grocery store. I forced myself to calm down. It wasn't like she could sense Minato was an Ashikabi and set this up or anything, nor did I smell her following us earlier. I was being paranoid, the mindset of the grail war getting to me.

Of course, knowing that she was a Sekirei meant that I couldn't allow Minato to blithely walk into this beings' home turf. Even in the unlikely event that she didn't have an Ashikabi yet, she was a potential enemy that I didn't want Minato anywhere near. This was another reason to finish our conversation. Minato was too trusting of strangers for this war.

"It's nice to meet you, Asama-san." I lied. "But if you excuse us, we have to be getting home for dinner." I took a step back to lead Minato to the register so we could leave, but the purple haired Sekirei took a step forward in response.

"By all means, I don't want to keep you. Although, to answer your question I think I do have a few unused rooms if you both are interested." She offered and produced a business card. "Here's my card. If you're interested in renting just come on by and we can talk business."

"Thank you, Miya-san." Minato took the card as I guided him to the exit.

"Indeed." I grunted. "That's very thoughtful of you. Would you mind if we talked it in private before we contact you?"

"Not at all. Have a pleasant evening." She waved and stopped following us. "Shirou and Minato Sahashi."

I thing I was beginning to hate that name, but at least she wasn't calling me Ichirou as was Karasuba's habit. It probably wouldn't look good to attack such a helpless and kind looking housewife, even if she wasn't really human. Still… I felt as if I was missing something in this encounter. Something important and dangerous.

"Goodbye Asama-san/ Goodbye Miya-san." Minato and I chorused our goodbyes with varying levels of sincerity.

As we purchased our goods, I thought that maybe a lesson on accepting help from strangers while in a death match with anonymous contenders was in order.

*Scene Change*

Tamaki hadn't gotten home yet by the time we returned, but Yukari and the Sekirei had. She didn't respond either when I called her. She must have got caught in a last minute meeting or something, but that was a less pressing matter than the one at hand.

"Yukari," I pinched my nose. "I thought I asked you to get her clothes, not these…things." I gestured to one of the multitude of bags the girls had returned with. It seemed that clothing departments weren't the only stores they frequented judging from the bags and their contents. At least whatever books they had bought had to be tame, right?

Well, you said her bags were lost right? I thought you'd be happy!" She said, her exuberance unfazed by my complaints. "She did call you master after all. I'm just trying to help my brother with his sex life!"

My thoughts immediately derailed.

"My what?" I sputtered. "Yukari, the words 'helping my _brother_ with his _sex life_' are the last words I ever want to hear out of your mouth. _Any_ mouth. That it comes from my own sister just isn't right!" Throne preserve me from over-enthusiastic, misguidedly supportive younger siblings!

"That's not what my books say." She sang out. "And you don't see Minato complaining, see?" She gestured to where Minato was futilely trying to explain to a rather… animated Musubi why bloomers were not appropriate everyday clothes and should be worn as pajamas.

And then explaining what pajamas were.

Sighing, I gave up what was a definitely disturbing and likely losing argument on how little sisters shouldn't be involved in their brother's sex lives and focused on another matter: Akitsu. Or rather, the clothes Yukari got for her.

Akitsu was dressed solely in the outermost layer of a light kimono, if it could be called that. It hung off her shoulders, leaving them bare and had long sleeves that hung past her fingertips and belled out at the cuff. The ensemble was cut to just above her bellybutton, emphasizing her not-inconsiderable bust and, while she showed no physical symptom of the chill in the air, rather brazenly displayed her lack of a bra. Strangely enough, a length of chain fastened the hanging collar sections together and protected her modesty and a second length of chain hung down between her breasts from where it wrapped around her delicate neck. Truly, the purposes of these additions were unfathomable. The strange kimono was tied together at her waist by a plain black obi tied in front in a neat little bow.

When I sent Yukari to get her clothes, this was not what I was expecting. Underwear, shirts, some skirts, maybe some pants or jeans, these were the things I expected. Thin strings, sheer cloth, chains and leather were something new to me here, and I'd like to say I was handling this turn of events well.

"I can complain because it seems you bought these frivolities and neglected the reason for going out in the first place." I gestured to my stoic new partner who stood unmoving though our conversation. "I thought we agreed on replacing her wardrobe with the necessities. If they were there, I would see necessities. I see no necessities."

"Hey, I bought everything for her just like you asked. Check the bags." Yukari snapped, no longer joking. "It's not my fault that that's what she wanted to wear. Talk with her if you're in that sort of relationship."

"What sort of relationship are you implying?"

"She called you master, right? So you two are into that sort of thing."

"And what does that have to do with this? For someone who prided herself on being responsible you've been showing yourself to the opposite of that. Even if what you're assuming is correct, and it isn't, did I ask you to go out and get those things? No. I asked you to get her the essential clothes she needs and those are not essential."

"I don't see what your problem is, I did what you wanted and got what she wanted!" She yelled back at me. The act actually took be aback. What were we doing, squabbling over what I myself just called frivolity? This argument had gotten way out of hand. In fact, it shouldn't have happened in the first place. My growing tension, frustration anger and fear at a second, larger Grail War inside a metropolitan city had gotten to me and I was taking it out at on an undeserving person. How shameful.

"Yukari." I tried to soften my tone. That now we were both angry, frustrated and defensive wasn't helping us solve anything. "Look, I appreciate you trying to help and look after me, but I think you're very much mistaken. Akitsu is my friend. Despite what she calls me, we are not… together, like that. These things, these clothes, are very inappropriate. It isn't your place to do those kinds of things for me, especially without either my asking you or your asking me. Do you understand?"

"Oh…" She paused, looking somewhat contrite. "I'm sorry big brother. I was only trying to help."

I sighed and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her bangs. "I know you were. I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"All forgiven?" She reaches her arms out to me.

"All forgiven." I acknowledge and hug her back. I hadn't noticed how frustrated I had gotten earlier and hadn't meant to bring that into my conversation with Yukari, but I'm glad we sorted it out. It struck me as odd at how much easier it was for me to interact with Yukari than it was for me to deal with Minato. Maybe it was that I'd had sisters before and she was so similar to them, or maybe because I have always been surrounded by women. Or maybe it was because Minato sometimes reminded me of myself. Back when I was filled with the naïve, youthful optimism that came with not yet experiencing the realities of conflict. "I'm going to go call Takami again. Can I count on you to help store this stuff away?"

"I'm on it!" She giggled and gave me a mock salute.

As she trotted off to annoy her other sibling I retreated back to my room. Just about an hour of unpacking and arguing had ensued since we returned home and I still had no word back from Takami. She had said that she had a shorten day today and would be home early, but I couldn't remember when that would be. It was rapidly approaching early evening though, so even if there was a last minute meeting it should be over now.

I dialed her number and waited.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. I waited.

No answer, would I like to leave a message? No. With a sigh I ended the call. There was no sense leaving multiple messages for the same reason. Only crazy people did that. I was worried though. If something had come up, then Takami would have told me somehow, either by text or by a brief call or message. That she'd left no reason for her delay was extremely out of character.

"You do wish me to change?"

I turn, startled, to find Akitsu standing calmly behind me. I hadn't even realized she followed me; but was that my getting comfortable with her shadowing me or just her unobtrusive manner in general? I shook off the thought and refocused on Akitsu. She was standing, straight-backed and motionless merely a few feet away and slightly to my left; as I was beginning to suspect was her custom. Her carbon colored eyes locked unwaveringly onto my own as she regarded me with her usual strange intensity. She delivered her question without tone or inflection. Neither did her blank face give any insight into her thoughts.

It was hard to read anything off the woman.

Wait… no.

Her back was too rigid; her shoulders pulled further back than when she was relaxed. Her chest was also slightly thrust forward in the same odd position she took up last night… when confronting Karasuba. She was also looking right into my eyes; as opposed to the slightly lowered gaze I'd noticed her taking whenever I looked over at her. Even her lips had a slight, almost unnoticeable downturn.

Was she… I think… I think I might be learning to understand the taciturn woman. Alien. Whatever.

"Akitsu," I started hesitantly, trying to find the words to avoid unintentionally insulting or offending her. "You picked out those clothes, not Yukari, right? Might I ask why?"

"Warm." She said simply.

Warm? Between the fabric used and how it was cut, it looked just about the opposite of warm. In fact, it was a wonder she wasn't freezing. Hold on. Freezing. Didn't I just have this same epiphany this morning?

"You mean the other clothes you tried out are too hot? That those are cool enough to wear around." She nodded. It made sense now that I thought about it. Her ability was ice manipulation and whenever she was particularly upset she influenced the local temperature. I had wondered at how she seemed to disregard the chill when I first found her in the park, barefoot and barely clothed. It also explained why she kept shedding the layers of clothes I gave her because those clothes were meant to keep her warm and covered. If 'room temperature' were warm for her no wonder she would wear as little of them as possible. "Do you like your clothes, Akitsu? The ones you picked out?"

I had the feeling that if I ordered, or maybe even asked her to, she would wear the clothes she felt stifled and uncomfortable in rather than the ones she wanted to because it was me that told her to. That was the reason for her confronting me, if this could even be called a confrontation. I could do it too. After all, I was using her as a weapon already, and odds were I might end up having to kill her at some point. But I wouldn't. She was still a person, or roughly equivalent enough to one that I couldn't, wouldn't, impose my will on her for such a trivial reason. No, she could keep them if she wanted to, but there would be conditions.

"I do." She affirmed, as I thought she would.

"Then they're yours to keep." I said gently, or what I thought was gently anyway. "But there is one condition: underwear is non-negotiable. If you're to go out you have to be properly dressed, and that means a bra and underwear under whatever you decide to wear. Acceptable?"

"Yes, Shirou-sama."

"Alright." I nodded. Glad that this was a much easier discussion that trying to explain to Saber a breastplate and full armor were not acceptable outdoor wear. "Is there anything else you need, Akitsu?"

"No, Shirou-sama."

"Alright, then we had best rescue the others from Yukari. And please, just call me Shirou. No honorifics."

"Yes, Shirou-sama."

*Scene Break*

Takami still hadn't come home or called or answered her phone by the time the sun set.

Nor did she when I started dinner, nor when dinner was finished.

The liveliness and excitement that had filled the small apartment had died down as time went on. Instead, the air was tense with anxiety and the silence was oppressive. The food was cold when we finally served it; the only sound was the clinking of chopsticks on bowls and plates as the meal was dished out. Six places set for five people.

And then dinner was finished and still no word. Still we waited.

Eventually, it we decided it was time to bring out the cake. We lit the candles, watching them melt down to waxy puddles in the firelight, trying to hold onto the moment as long as possible. But then the candles ran out, plunging the room into darkness.

"Hand me your plate, Yukari?" I murmured quietly.

As I reached for the knife I smelt blood in the air.

For an irrational moment I felt tremendous relief. Who'd have thought that I'd feel relief at Karasuba's presence? Ordinarily, I'd be angry if she thought she could brazenly crash and ruin our family dinner. That was the sort of thing that would see me succeed in killing her, even if dinner was ruined in the process. But she worked with Takami, even if it was only to threaten poor vacationers who just wanted to go home. She would know what was taking Takami so long to get home.

Wait.

Something was wrong.

The smell of blood was approaching in the wrong direction. Every time Karasuba invited herself over she always came from the same direction: She came bounding across the Shin Tokyo skyline from MBI straight to our balcony door.

But if she was coming from the opposite direction…

I turned just slightly before the knock at the door came.

"Mom! /Mom's here!" Yukari and Minato exclaimed, bolting towards the door.

"Slow down you two, don't trip over each other!" I shouted following them. It wasn't like I could say 'that's not Takami.' I wasn't sure it wasn't, after all, I could only smell Karasuba's approach. Still, I couldn't help but feel the cold touch of apprehension claw its way up my spine and settle deep in my gut. Why on earth would Takami bring that crow home of her own volition I didn't know.

"Okaeri nasai!" They shouted before pulling back, surprised.

That wasn't Takami.

"Ah! Karasuba-sama!" Musubi exclaimed from behind me.

"Tadaima." Karasuba's lone voice poured into the silence. "Hello Musubi-chan. Good evening Sahashi children. Is Sahashi-kun home? There is a matter we need to discuss."

"I'm right here." I said, laying a hand on my sibling's shoulders in comfort. "You two go back to the table and I'll find out where Takami is, okay?" I ushered them both toward the table and stepped into the hallway with Karasuba. "What do you need?"

"Sahashi-kun." Karasuba nodded. Something was very wrong. No jokes. No threats. No flirting. Even her stance was a very ridged 'at ease.' This wasn't a social call, nor was it her being ordered to kill me. This was business of the other variety. "We need you to come to MBI headquarters. There was an incident today. Takami's been injured."

*End Chapter*

First thing first, I'd like to thank Zaralann for his work with helping me actually get this done. You've been a big help and have made me take an even more ambitious plan with this story.

Other note for the people who left me messages and reviews for how mistaken I am about the Type Moon terminology and fluff: thank you. I believe I mentioned this in my first chapter, but if not I'll mention it again here. I really try to get a good understanding of the Type Moon terminology and mechanics, but I'll be the first to admit that I get confused and/or just don't understand some aspects of the Type Moon verse, and your telling me where and how I was wrong was really helpful. Some of it I really just don't get. So please forgive my mistakes and let me know when I make them so I can correct them. I'm not sure if this comes across as sarcastic or not, but I'm being truly sincere. Thank you.

Also, since this reminds me of the last chapter… I've finally decided not to scrap it and rewrite the whole thing. It is a rehash of In Flight, but I wanted to stay true to the initial timeline of Sekirei at the start of this story, and that meant if I wanted Shirou to meet Akitsu it had to either be during the day when he was out with Minato, or that night coming home. Really, even though I don't like the chapter, it will stay because I need it as a transitional interlude. At some point I'll try to go back and correct the mistakes that are still in there, but that might not happen until I hit the halfway point in this story.

Onto the notes for this chapter. I love Karasuba. I really enjoy writing from her perspective, so I'll probably find more excuses to delve into her perspective in this story. I might as well also address some of the questions or complaints I'm expecting to get off of some of her scenes. First off: yes, Karasuba did return to MBI at the end of last chapter and no, she did not sneak into Takami's apartment last night in order to cuddle up to Shirou. No, she didn't sleep walk either, but there was an early draft where that was the case… but the scene ended up being even more out of character for everyone so I scrapped it.

Other things: Karasuba's musing on the trend for Ashikabi growing more powerful upon multiple successful and successive wingings are what she understands of it from what little she found about it. I know that her thoughts aren't correct according to canon, but that is because this is first person limited narrative. She doesn't know she is wrong, so thus it must be explained incorrectly. This is the same reason why Shirou still thinks of every Sekirei as holding Servant level destructive capabilities: he hasn't fought or seen them fight seriously, so he doesn't know how they really compare to Servants.

I hope you all enjoyed the latest installment of Shattered. Next up is Chapter 5: Angry Crow Takes Flight.

Once again, thank you for reading.

Drake Valkyr


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